Triratna Buddhist Community News

Triratna News is moving - and thebuddhistcentre launches

2011-08-04T22:06:00.002+01:00

Preview of thebuddhistcentre.com from thebuddhistcentre on Vimeo.
This is a preview video for the full version of thebuddhistcentre.com
from the Triratna Buddhist Community. The first phase is now live!

Big news today on Triratna News - and an invitation to all our readers to check out our new online home! This is Triratna News' last appearance here on Blogger, 1176 posts after launching back in late 2006 - but the birth of a major new website and on-line home for the Triratna Buddhist Community.

Future Triratna News articles WON’T be appearing here, so we’d like to invite you to move over immediately to its new home - thebuddhistcentre.com/news.

Candradasa, the new site’s director and designer, writes - “Welcome to www.thebuddhistcentre.com, a online new home for the Triratna Buddhist Community and a place of practice for all who share our love of the Buddha’s path.

“This is a ‘transition space’ – our first public step towards a comprehensive Dharma site and social network serving Triratna Buddhist communities around the world. We hope you’ll enjoy the glimpses now available of what’s in store – and that you’ll come back again and again. You can help us build a place where we can practise the Dharma and celebrate our inspirations together. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do with the space!

“If you’d like to stay up to date with developments, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, sign up for occasional news from the project, or get in touch. We’ll be testing our social network in October by hosting the 2011 Urban Retreat. You can register interest with us and we’ll contact you nearer the time to help you get started with the online retreat.

"Many people have contributed over the years to the Triratna community’s web presence and to getting our new site off the ground. We’re grateful to them all. Particular thanks are due to the Triratna Development Team from the European Chairs Assembly, to the trustees and team at Dharmachakra, and also to Windhorse:Evolution and the Sangharakshita Land Project. Without their generous support none of this would be possible".

The embedded video shows previews of many aspects of the new website; you'll also find it at vimeo.com/27075476

Would you like to hear more about our Movement in India?

2011-08-03T18:36:00.000+01:00

Over the next few weeks Indian Order members will be visiting UK Centres and talking about their lives and work. This is a great opportunity to get a different perspective on our Movement and the Dharma.

One of the benefits of experiencing the internationality of our Movement is seeing what of Buddhism is cultural. Throughout it's history the Dharma has adapted as it encounters different situations; so what is central and what varies? It is the recognition that we can take direction of our own lives and through changing how we relate to a situation change the way it unfolds that is the essence of the Dharma. In hearing about our work in India we see that principle played out in a more direct and socio-politically active fashion than we are familiar with in the West; but it is the same Dharma.

To hear more about this work; and especially the work of some of those responsible for training men and women for ordination in the Triratna Buddhist Order the come along to one of the following;

Sunday 28th August - Sheffield Buddhist Centre
Monday 29th August - Bristol Buddhist Centre or the London Buddhist Centre
Tuesday 30th August – Birmingham Buddhist Centre or the West London Buddhist Centre or Norwich Buddhist Centre
Thursday 1st September – Nottingham Buddhist Centre or Colchester Buddhist Centre
Saturday 3rd September – Croydon Buddhist Centre
Monday 5th September – North London Buddhist Centre or Manchester Buddhist Centre

(They haven't achieved the psychic power of being in more than place at once, unfortunately, there's more than one group!)

This tour is being organised by the India Dhamma Trust (indiadhammatrust.org), in association with Golden Rainbow. If you feel inspired to give to either of these causes please contact manjusiha@indiadhmmatrust.org. You can also donate on our website.

Sangharakshita's Diary August 2011

2011-08-03T06:21:00.000+01:00

Vidyaruchi, Sangharakshita's secretary, writes with his usual update on Bhante's activities over the past month. He says -

"Literary work, old and new, has been the main theme of the last month. Bhante's series of 'Reveries and Reminiscences' is now coming to the end of its fourth instalment (the third appears in this month's Shabda), and the writing, dictating, checking, correcting and revising of this is a daily task. Bhante has had me read to him from quite diverse material related to the writing, either to check some fact, or to stimulate his imagination. Bhante has been pleased to see the new, revised edition of A Guide to the Buddhist Path released at last, and hopes it will see a good circulation.

"He was also pleased to see a review of his Ambedkar and Buddhism by Yoginder Sikand, sent to Bhante by Lokamitra. It was a long review and Bhante thought it did justice to his book.

"Though Bhante has not been listening to many audio books, he has greatly enjoyed hearing a CD of Satyadaka reading his own translation of Heine's The North Sea, and described it as 'an impressive piece of work'. Satyadaka was inspired to attempt translating the poem after reading the first part of Bhante's 'Looking Back' series, published in Shabda last year. In his account of his time with Paramartha in Ipswich searching for traces of his Lingwood ancestors, Bhante mentions his long-standing admiration of Heine's poem in the course of describing the visit they made to Felixstowe, to see the sea after which the poem is named.

"Bhante and I have continued following Sudhana's adventures in the Gandhavhuya Sutra, and as the hero has finally reached Vairocana's tower, there is good reason to think we may finish in the next month. I also read him Sulak Sivaraksa's book The Wisdom of Sustainability: Buddhist Economics for the 21st Century, which he thought an inspired sermon on the need for a society more in accordance with Buddhist ideals."

Vidyaruchi

Manjusvara - Three Poems and a Funeral

2011-08-03T05:33:00.001+01:00

July 6th saw Triratna’s Bristol sangha celebrating the funeral of Manjusvara, who died leading a retreat at Dhanakosa. Kamalamani has sent us an account of the day, and we’ve discovered three poems by Manjusvara in the latest edition of the Bristol Buddhist Centre’s on-line newsletter, which we reproduce below. Bristol’s Newsletter contains a moving ‘Rejoicing In Manjusvara’ by Ananda, his friend and colleague for many many years, during which he describes his friend as “the most generous person I ever knew”. Click here to read it.

Kamalamani writes -

“Manjusvara's funeral at Bristol Buddhist Centre was a very rich and fitting celebration of a life well lived. It marked beautifully the moving on of Manjusvara from his current life as a Dharma farer, son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, ex-husband, lover, musician, poet, writer, fundraiser and world traveller. The funeral services were co-ordinated and led with immense love and care by Harshaprabha, Saddhanandi and Taravajra, following Manjusvara's wishes. There were rejoicings and remembrances from his family and friends (his brother: John Keefe, Meg Moginot, John Crown and Mario Cavalli, John Bloss, Manjuvajra and Samayasri), from poet and 'Wolf at the Door' friends (Dhivan, Larry Butler, Varasahaya), from friends at the Karuna Trust (Jayaraja and Amalavajra), from India (from Padmadhara read by Silajala), and from Bristol sangha friends (Satyalila, Suhada and Jvalamalini). In recent months Achintya has been creating a digital archive of poems by Manjusvara and Ananda, so we were fortunate to hear recordings of Manjusvara read some of those poems - it was incredibly poignant to once again hear his voice.

“The funeral was followed by a smaller service at the North Bristol crematorium with eulogies starting with a pre-Buddhist friend Stephen Hewitt, then his brother John, followed by another 'Scouting friend', Keith, then Harshaprabha and Ananda. Keith named how Manjusvara's funeral was a meeting of 'two gangs': his Buddhist 'gang' and his 'gang' of family and friends, and how moved he was to witness the love and respect for Manjusvara from his Buddhist 'gang' and his considerable achievements as a poet, writer, and fundraiser. The services were followed by feasting and an afternoon of spontaneous offerings for Manjusvara in the form of words, poems, songs and music.

“There was a recurring theme throughout Manjusvara's funeral: that he was a kind and encouraging man who gave so much in the different facets of his life and never wasted a moment. Whilst the funeral physically took place in Bristol, it felt to be an international celebration of him and his life. Indeed, several services and rituals have been held in his honour and memory from the UK to India since his death. The love and respect for Manjusvara was reflected in the diverse richness, love, humour and sobriety of his funeral service. The love of his friends in the local sangha was reflected in the responsiveness of so many Bristol friends in making the practical arrangements, skilfully woven together by Satyalila with the support of Jvalamalini and the centre team.

“In drawing this to a close I am reminded of a line from Manjusvara's poem, 'Writing Poetry at Edinburgh Airport': 'there is only one human story: it ends in leaving'. Whilst still absorbing the shock of the swiftness with which Manjusvara's left this life, we are also fortunate to witness his legacy of connection, kindness, boundless creativity, integrity, magical mischief, and love. May all blessings be yours, Manjusvara, as you journey into the next chapter of your human story”.

Three poems by Manjusvara -

Ghazal – Buddha

Even if we can’t see it,
we bow down in our own perfection.
The world is this mirror: our constant
re-telling of the image before us.
Time only serves the lament of the world.
There can be no shadow without the lust for shadow.
Fire placed on the highest ground. A golden thread
of sympathy connecting us through all darkness.
Surely this is reason enough to smile?
Trust in our goal; let things happen as they should.

Touching On My History

There's a room in my house
where an eagle flies
I hear its wings beating against the walls.
It has the smell of blood on its breath,
that seeps under the doorway.
I go months, even years,
trying not to think about that room.
But the eagle never forgets:
It has set me in its perfect vision.
It knows one day we will meet.
And whether I am ready or not,
it will be ready;
it will be there waiting to take me

Writing Poetry at Edinburgh Airport

Li Po said: 'To read poetry is to be alive twice.’
At the airport it is easier to see how everyone is equal.
There is only one human story: it ends in leaving

Friends in the Bristol sangha have created a blog in honour of Manjusvara, with photographs of his life, accounts of the funeral, his ordination, his Karuna and Wolf at the Door work, and more. It’s at manjusvara.blogspot.com

New home for Triratna’s Liverpool Buddhist Centre

2011-08-02T05:25:00.004+01:00

Buddhashanti writes from Triratna’s Liverpool Buddhist Centre to say -

“Dear Friends, this to let you know that we moved on Sunday 10 July to a newhome in Rodney Street. Five of us -Mary, Jose, Antoinette, Lindsey and I processed up Duke Street to Rodney Streetcarrying our small Buddha rupa and thanka and chanting the Shakyamuni mantra. This was a good if unusual thing to do and I feltit added significance to our move rather than just walking up the hill to ahigher place in Liverpool. Shaun verykindly and generously lent the van and Ian did the driving.

“Rodney Street is a very attractive and quiet location and will suit usvery well. It’s located close to thecity centre. It was a very busy weekendwith preparing and decorating the room on Saturday and then doing the move onSunday. We had a great time, and a longday, in getting most of the painting done and transforming the room to ourneeds. It does look lovely now. Everybodythere really threw themselves in to the work and I want to thank everyoneinvolved. Our new address is LiverpoolBuddhist Centre, 66 Rodney Street, Liverpool, L1 9AF

“We have a great Sangha in Liverpool.

“With metta,

Buddhashanti

Find them on Facebookor at www.liverpoolbuddhistcentre.co.uk

Kavyasiddhi Pauses for Thought on BBC Radio 2

2011-07-31T11:12:00.000+01:00

Kavyasiddhi, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s ‘Pause for Thought’, writes from her home in Manchester, UK, with some reflections on her latest series. She says -

'You sound too meditative - think of the Lady Gaga track following you!'

“This feedback came from the BBC producer editing my overnight Pause for Thoughts. He has a point; most people tune to Radio 2 in the middle of the night to stay awake, not to be lulled to sleep. We spoke as I recorded six spots, the last of which go out this weekend, July 30/31st, during Richard Allinson at approx 0420, repeated on Zoe Ball at approx 0620. If you're going to a car boot sale, you might hear them as you drive. They're also available for a week on BBC i-player.

“I've written and recorded almost 90 overnight Pause for Thoughts since 2005; I write 5 or 6 at a time, upbeat but not inane, jargon free but not banal. They want a Buddhist take on a topical theme for people who aren't particularly religious, let alone Buddhist, and it can be hard to get the right tone: one week, I went from a kitten at Buddhafield to the repatriation of the alleged Lockerbie bomber, which I felt covered a sufficient range of human experience - even at 2 o'clock in the morning.

"Kavyasiddhi"

Triratna Training Course ends; another one planned for 2012

2011-07-27T23:08:00.000+01:00

Vidyaruci writes from Birmingham UK with news of the end of the first Triratna Training Course - and plans for another one! He says - “24th June saw end of the Triratna Training Course, a six-month, full-time, intensive Dharma training course for men, based at Madhyamaloka, Birmingham.

"The occasion was marked with a certificate ceremony for the students, as depicted in the photograph. There was also time, in the last few days of the course, for plenty of reporting-out, during which it became very apparent how much the students felt they had benefitted from the course. Here is what some of them said about it:

“One of the happiest and most rewarding experiences of my life” (Richard Millington)
“Studying the Dhamma in depth within such a supportive context has positively changed how I view myself and the world” (David Basak)

"The course offered a unique opportunity for students to saturate themselves in the Dharma. The contents were too rich and varied to summarize, but they included an in-depth look at Sangharakshita’s elucidation of the Dharma, and quite a bit on the Pali Canon - as well as three retreats with Subhuti, and a meditation intensive with Kamalashila. All this in the context of living together very closely in a way that fostered strong connections among the students.

"Since the course was so successful there are plans to run another one.

"So, if you are:
- male (the hope is that similar initiatives will be developed for women in the future)
- young(ish) (preferably)
- able to scrape together around £2000

"but most of all
- seriously interested in a Dharma training within the Triratna Community
- free from January to June 2012

"then contact me (Vidyaruchi) on matt.notmatt@yahoo.co.uk, or +44 7982 219505. Please note that the venue of the course will again be Madhyamaloka, Birmingham, although there is an outside chance that the course will be disrupted by the Sangharakshita Land Project’s plans to sell up and relocate to the countryside".

There's a video interview with the students available on Videosangha here or click the embedded player below -

Student interviews from the Triratna Dharma training course at Madhyamaloka from Triratna Buddhist Community on Vimeo.

Akasabhadra arrives in Wolverhampton

2011-07-26T05:45:00.003+01:00

Ashvajit writes from Birmingham, UK with news of the recent arrival of Dharmachari Anagarika Akashabhadra, an Order Member from India and here to become one of the ordained residents at the Wolverhampton Buddhist Vihara. He says -

“I was approached by six members of the Committee of the Vihara a year or so ago, when they were without a Bhikkhu (their resident Thai Bhikkhu was about to leave) and they asked me if I knew of any Hindi-speaking Dhammachari, preferably robe-wearing, who would be interested in coming over to the UK for six months to be their resident monk. So it was that Akashabhadra came over a month or so ago.

“He’s a very friendly and quite lively 60-year old who I’m sure will benefit very much from more contact with the Order over here - and the Order from his presence too!”

Akashabhadra was ordained in 1993 and has until recently been part of the small Triratna sangha in Agra, north India. The photographs show the Vihara and its shrine room.

60 new Mitras at the Mexico City Buddhist Center

2011-07-25T05:32:00.003+01:00

new Mitras in Mexico

Mario Peña writes from Triratna’s Mexico City Buddhist Centre with news of no less than 60 mitra ceremonies held there so far this year! He says -

“This June at the Mexico City Buddhist Center we held mitra ceremonies for 18 people; we were fortunate to have the presence of Dh. Anagarika Parami from Spain joining us for this ceremony. This, along with three other ceremonies this year, means we have been joined by 60 new mitras already in 2011.

“These people have been involved here for many years, mostly in the formal study groups we hold, based on the Dharma Training Course for mitras, that have been taking place since a year ago. In conjunction with Triratna’s Buddhist center in Valencia (Spain), we have able to translate much of the Mitra course. And we have already offered about 12 modules of the course to people here, via four different study groups.

“These formal study groups have been very well accepted - we have found that with them people have been able to have continuity in practice and study, and therefore they have helped people to become involved in Buddhism and as well knowing the Triratna Buddhist Order and the thought of Urgyen Sangharakshita and other members of the Order. The modules touch on fundamental issues that help to clarify several Buddhist concepts, practices, teachings and books, finding a systematic and gradual way to learn Buddhism, and understand in this way the Order.

“During her visit Parami gave a talk to 70 people on "What is the Triratna Buddhist Order/Community?" about the history of the Order. It was very helpful to listen the history by a woman who was present in the first years of the Order.

“We hope that all Triratna centers have the same good results. Yours in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, Mario”.

Their extensive library of Spanish Dharma materials is available on-line at www.budismo.org.mx/materiales

A death in the Order

2011-07-24T05:59:00.003+01:00

Saricitta, who has been in close contact with Bodhilocana writes from the US to say - 'It is with great sadness that I am letting you know that Dharmacharini Bodhilocana passed away last Sunday July 17th. She slipped into a coma around 3:00 PM and left her body at 5:30 PM. Her partner and her sister were with her. Several Order Members gathered to chant the White Tara mantra. Her departure was as lovely as her presence...with strength, peace and great beauty. She suffered no pain and had absolutely no fear. Her greatest concern was for those she was leaving behind'.

Bodhilocana was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago and ordained a year ago. She lived in Newmarket, New Hampshire.

Visible Mantra book now available: Visualising & Writing Buddhist Mantras

2011-07-23T05:53:00.000+01:00

Jayarava, an Order Member based in Cambridge UK, creator of the Triratna News blog and prolific blogger, writes with news of his third book. He says - “I have now published another book - the book of my mantra website.

“Visible Mantra: Visualising and Writing Buddhist Mantras is a celebration of the visual forms of mantra and other varieties of sacred speech, drawing on Buddhist traditions from India, China, Japan, and Tibet. This was originally envisaged as a reference for Order Members for visualising their mantras and seed-syllables, but grew well beyond the initial idea.

“The book includes all the mantras from my Visible Mantra website (www.visiblemantra.org), plus a few more. Each is presented in four scripts: Siddhaṃ (Bonji 梵字), Lantsa (aka Rañjana), Devanāgarī, and Tibetan (dbu can), plus seed-syllables, dhāraṇī and Pāli chants. All are accompanied by meticulously researched notes and comments, and background reading drawn from my blog. It’s an invaluable resource for Buddhist artists, calligraphers and practitioners”.

The book is available on-line via Jayarava's page on Lulu - www.lulu.com/spotlight/VisibleMantraPress

Jayarava’s previous book, of equal interest to members of the Triratna Buddhist Community, is Nāmapada. Also available from Lulu, this is a guide to Sanskrit and Pali names used in the Triratna Buddhist Order and contains definitions and etymologies for almost 500 words and affixes, background on the Sanskrit and Pali languages, and relevant points of grammar and morphology.

Sangharakshita's Diary, July 2011

2011-07-22T05:04:00.019+01:00

Vidyaruchi writes with news of some of the highlights of Sangharakshita's diary during the past month, saying -

“The last month has seen Bhante engage in a number of encounters that are somewhat unusual. The first was with Maitrivir-Nargarjuna, an Indian Dhammachari based in Hyderabad, who came to England for a month or so. Over three days he interviewed Bhante for 'Lord Buddha TV', a Buddhist cable channel in Maharashtra, on various topics, such as his impressions of Dr Ambedkar, Buddhist art and iconography, and the challenge of effectively communicating the Dhamma in modern India. The interview is a significant one, not least because when it is eventually broadcast it may potentially be seen by several million people.

"On another occasion Bhante fielded questions in a context with perhaps less far-reaching implications, though it was nonetheless appreciated by the participants. I refer to a Q&A he conducted with the students of the Triratna Training Course, then in its penultimate week. Topics ranged from the meaning of anatta and transcendental insight, through the relationship between time and pratitya samutpada, to sex and relationships.

"Bhante has met with some luminaries from the wider Buddhist world. About a dozen members of Byoma Kusuma came to visit, including Ven. Narayan Prasad Rijal, one of their senior teachers. Byoma Kusuma is a Nepal-based Buddhist group, some English members of which visited Bhante last year. This time, he first met with the whole group, and spoke a little about the structure of the Sevenfold Puja, and then he and Ven. Narayan were left to discuss together alone, while Paramartha and I served tea and chatted with the other members of the party. Their teacher, Ven. Ratnashri, has written many essays, a few of which I read to Bhante, who was impressed by the clarity about the Dharma that they evince. To celebrate Ven. Ratnashri's birthday Byoma Kusuma are planning to produce a magazine, and they have asked Bhante's permission to publish one of his articles in it. He has, of course, given his permission, and the article they have chosen is 'The 'Problem' of Ahimsa' from Crossing the Stream. It will be translated into Nepali by Ven. Narayan himself.

"Then there was David Loy, who came to Madhyamaloka for a visit. His main objective in doing so was to meet with Bhante, though he also spent time with the students on the course, talking about Buddhism and the modern world. Bhante has been recommending David's book, Money Sex War Karma, after having had it read to him last year.

“Other than these interesting and pleasant diversions, and the usual round of visitors and daily walks, Bhante has continued his current piece of writing, 'Reveries and Reminiscences' - the second installment of which appears in the July issue of Shabda - with help from Nityabandhu, whose knowledge and recollection of certain details has been called upon several times.

!Bhante has found time to enjoy some audio books, including Marlborough, England's Greatest General by Richard Holmes; and a CD of Philip Larkin reading his own verse. He has also had me read to him from a number of sources, including Sulak Sivaraksha's new book (a gift from the same) The Wisdom of Sustainability; a special issue of Contemporary Buddhism, focusing on U Dhammaloka, one of the first Westerners to ordain as a Buddhist, whose life demonstrates a different kind of Western monk to the scholarly types, such as Ananda Metteya, previously thought to be the earliest Western converts to Buddhism; and some chapters from God: Being an Introduction to the Science of Metabiology by John Middleton Murry, which is interesting to Bhante insofar as it touches on ideas similar to his 'Evolution, Higher and Lower'.

Vidyaruchi.

16th Buddhafield Festival closes to rave reviews

2011-07-20T10:31:00.001+01:00

The annual Buddhafield Festival, held in the beautiful Blackdown Hills of Somerset UK, drew to a close early this week to rave reviews. We’re delighted to post a few below, drawn at random from Buddhafield’s Facebook page - www.facebook.com/buddhafield.festival

“what a mind-blowing experience it was to be present at my first and definitely never last Buddhafield. I thank you from the bottom of my being, big love to everyone who worked so hard to create this oasis of real and passionate living....bless you all xxxxxxx”

“Best and most inspiring week of my life”.

“Just back from 5 days of bliss, fun, freedom, beautiful deep connections in the best festival I've ever been to! My heart is overflowing with LOVE and Gratitude. That was my first time at Buddhafield and certainly not my last one!

“Thank you for a truly amazing festival, it was my first time at Buddhafield and I will certainly come back next year. It was full of amazing people and I have returned overwhelmed with inspiration and abundance xxx”

At almost 3,000 people, the Buddhafield Festival is Triratna’s largest annual event and distinctive in the UK’s vibrant festival scene for its clear ‘no drink no drugs’ emphasis. The theme this year was ‘Finding Abundance’; this was reflected throughout the festival and indeed Buddhafield’s whole 2011 program. They write “How important it is in these times to evoke a brimming energy of fulfilment, inner wealth and joy that supports us and overflows outwards towards others. In the light of credit crunches, cuts, peak oil and a general air of belt-tightening and lack, we thought we’d go right the other way... We will be working hard to create a richly adorned beautiful space for you to come to. Bring your jewel hearts!”

This was the 16th Buddhafield Festival with the team celebrating an unbroken run from 1996 - itself a notable achievement in the fluid world of alternative culture.

Sadhu Buddhafield!

Ordination in Missoula, Montana

2011-07-18T10:07:00.009+01:00

Tom Allyn had his public ordination on 16 July.

Dhammarati writes from America’s Rocky Mountains:

"Tom is now Sthiradasa, 'He who is in service of that which is steadfast and true'.

Saramati was the private preceptor, and the public preceptor was Dhammarati."

SADHU!

Building work starts with celebrations and rituals at Metta Vihara

2011-07-17T05:26:00.004+01:00

Parina writes from Holland with the excellent news that building work has finally begun at Metta Vihara, Triratna’s new Retreat Centre in the Low Countries. She says -

“From all over the Netherlands and Belgium about 75 friends of the Triratna Buddhist Community came on Sunday June 19th to celebrate the ‘Laying of the First Brick’ of our brand new Retreat Centre. Three friends from the Paris Triratna Centre joined us, as well as several locals from the tiny Hengstdijk village just along the road. Coffee, tea and cake were served in the village hall. Then we walked the ten minutes to the building site which was covered with a sea of camomile and poppy flowers, swept by the vivid south-western wind which is ever-present in the area.

"On the site five shrines were improvised from building materials, sticks and various odds and ends, representing the Mandala of the Five Buddhas, with the Buddha Shakyamuni in the centre. We dedicated the site to the practice of tranquillity, generosity, meditation, compassion, wisdom and fearlessness, for the happiness and welfare of all beings.

"The next day, Monday June 20^th, the building work actually started. As you will see from the photograph, already the outline of the building has become apparent!

There’s pictures of the ritual and the festival on the Metta Vihara website: www.mettavihara.nl/vers-van-de-pers-retraitecentrum

and here: https://picasaweb.google.com/Frederic.Cotman/MettaViharaEerstesteenlegging?authkey=Gv1sRgCJq-o9GDk8HCQg

With metta,

Parina"

German tour raises 1,000€ for Bodh Gaya centre development

2011-07-14T04:49:00.004+01:00

Sraddhabandhu writes from Dusseldorf with news of the very successful collaboration between Triratna centres in Germany and our small outpost in Bodh Gaya, in far north-eastern India but the place of the Buddha’s Enlightenment and as such a central place in the Buddhist world.

He says - "When I was a the 2009 International Order Convention in Bodh Gaya, I learned (among many things) about our plans to have a centre there. This struck me as amazingly sensible, because so many schools of Buddhism have a temple, a centre or a school in Bodh Gaya, the most holy place for pilgrims. So why not us?

“During the Convention Amitashuri, a Dharmacharini from the UK, gave a presentation, distributed leaflets about the land we have there and Bhante’s vision for it. She was also available for all sorts of questions. I have met her before, when she was in Germany, so l asked her if she was willing to do another tour in Germany, this time to present the Bodh Gaya centre project.

“We didn’t know then that the very next day Bhante was to going to give the Centre the name The Three Jewels Centre through a video message broadcast from the UK.

“I translated the leaflet, began organizing her trip to Germany (we had a few phone calls and more communication on Facebook), and suddenly there she was: giving talks in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Essen between 17^th and 24^th May, all of which were very well received.

“And as a result, Buddha e.V., the charity which hosts the activities of Triratna Düsseldorf, was able to give her no less than 1,000€ (£870 pounds sterling or 63,000 Rupees) for the development of the Centre in Bodh Gaya.”

You can read more about the vision for the land and new Centre on its website www.threejewelscentre.org. There is also a page for online donations at www.justgiving.com/bodhgayaproject

Buddhist yoga teacher-training course developed in Spain

2011-07-12T09:16:00.016+01:00

Sadhita writes from Triratna’s Centre in Barcelona with news of a new type of yoga teacher-training course based specifically upon Buddhist principles which he is developing with his co-worker and friend Sudaka.

He says - “The initiative to launch a yoga teacher-training school based upon Buddhist principles has arisen out of a process of working with Sudaka over a period of six years. We have discussed on numerous occasions the idea of bringing together Hatha Yoga, Buddhism and meditation as an integral system. With it, we hope to offer a course that interests Buddhists who want to train as yoga teachers as well as people seeking to deepen their own experience of meditation and yoga as a system of practice.

“Importantly, the school won't teach from a philosophical backdrop of Vedanta or any other branch of Hinduism. Nor will our teaching focus only on the physical and energetic aspects or asanas. We are hoping to do something a bit more unique in the yoga world. We aim to offer a course built on a solid foundation of the Buddha's teachings.

"Along with writing the course, we need to affiliate ourselves with a recognised body. We have chosen one known as the IYN (Independent Yoga Network www.independentyoganetwork.org). Among other things it actively lobbies to prevent yoga becoming legislated by British government or what used to be the Sports Council. We therefore feel more of an alignment with it as being more in keeping with the direction we've taken as Buddhists."

“We are both busy writing the course which will comprise of around 500+ hours teaching time. We aim to launch our first course in Spain in September 2012. All being well, we will gain many students and offer something a bit different in the yoga world.

"For more information about the course please see our web site: www.BodhiYoga.es "

Ordination in San Francisco

2011-07-11T13:42:00.002+01:00

Dhammarati writes from America’s West Coast:

“I’m pleased to announce that Doug Chan was publicly ordained on Saturday, June 18. He becomes DANADASA, ‘Servant Of Generosity’. Viradhamma was the private preceptor, and the public preceptor was Dhammarati. There’s long first and third ‘a’s; the Westernised spelling is ‘Danadasa’.

“Sadhu!”

Report on Young Buddhists' weekend: The New Society in Principle and Practice

2011-07-09T15:22:00.008+01:00

Debbie Purdon from Leeds writes:

Friday 17 June 2011 saw the gathering of a group of wild young things who had come to gather for a common purpose, to explore The New Society in Principle and Practice. It was the Triratna Young Buddhist’s weekend in Birmingham and with such a title it was never going to be a passive affair - there was a feeling of revolution in the air!

Beforehand we were promised a very comfortable place on the floor of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, but on arrival were very disappointed to be told there was enough room for us all to have a proper bed with a mattress and everything - so much for developing my ascetic qualities!

(:-))

We arrived to a wonderful supper cooked by the one and only Sanghadeva who selflessly cooked the most delectable cuisine for us all weekend. We then had an introduction to the weekend and each other and a dedication ceremony in the shrine room. Then back to the annexe for us girls, throwing out the boys who were staying there as part of Vidyaruchi's six-month Dharma course (thanks boys!).

Saturday saw a great talk by Vajragupta on the meaning of the New Society and set it in the context of what the Buddha taught on the importance of Sangha to the spiritual life as told through stories from two suttas in the Majjhima Nikaya. This set the tone for us to explore in groups people’s experiences of living together harmoniously or unharmoniously, and the lessons learned.

In the afternoon we had a series of talks (expertly compered byJnanarakshita). Claudine from Lamas Pyjamas in London gave a great talk about setting up a team-based Right Livelihood (TBRL) business, and about the charity shop as a model. I found this really inspiring and it was also very helpful to make contact with Claudine as we have been exploring setting up a TBRL charity shop in Leeds and listening to how easy Claudine found the process made our ideas seem all the more possible.

Arthabandu gave a talk about working for Windhorse : evolution, which I think is the movement's largest and most successful team-based Right Livelihood business, and sounds like the most amazing employer to work for. Then Sanghanatha gave a heart-felt talk about working for the Karuna Trust, and doing Karuna Appeals (and he managed to sign-up at least one person from the weekend to do an appeal, sadhu!)

The evening puja led by Lokabhandu was amazing - it had me quaking in my boots at first but in the end I was really pleased to have done it. At the offerings stage of the puja we each had to go up and select from a number of objects on the shrine: a vajra, a sword, a bell and a flower. We had to take hold of the object that spoke to us most and raise it in the air, turning to the group and declaring "my name is _, and I practice in the world with _". So, for example, I chose the vajra and declared "My name is Debbie and I practice in the world with courage". This seemed to have a really strong effect both for me and everyone else in the room. Each time someone else got up and made their declaration it was celebrated by everyone in the room with claps and cheers. It was really powerful and there was something about being 'seen' that was really effective.

After breakfast on Sunday Lokabhandu gave a talk that launched the guide he and others have recently produced called 'a guide to starting a community'. This looks at many of the practical and spiritual considerations one might make when starting up a Buddhist community.

Talks then followed by Ben Niblock who talked about teaching the Dharma as a younger sangha member, and used a fabulous metaphor about how new ideas and concepts could be seen as magic beans that you are trying to plant in established soil that may upset the turnips around them initially but which could eventually transform everything into something really magical (apologies if I haven't got this quite right - it was slightly surreal and completely enjoyable!). And Sue Susnik then gave an inspirational talk about dana and why she feels so passionately about working in the development team and looking at fundraising strategies in the movement.

The energy from these inspiring talks made us buzz with ideas so the exercise after the tea break was just what was needed. Lokabhandu set up an open space where people who felt moved-to offered ideas they wanted to explore deeper and these ideas became themes for discussion groups for people to drop in and out of. This worked really well in practice and lots of actions have already taken place following the retreat as a result of these discussion groups, including an (already very active) Triratna Arts group on Facebook and an Empowering Dharma Outreach group that is looking at making the Dharma as inclusive and accessible as possible to some of the more vulnerable groups in society, and many more.

As part of the closing ritual we all had to come up with three words that summed up our experience. Mine were INSPIRED, MOVED, EXCITED. That still sums things up really, it was an invaluable experience and I will definitely be going along to the next young Buddhist's event. Many thanks to the organisers and everyone who took part!

Contact the Development Team if you would like to be sent a copy of any of the following three documents: why a charity shop?; guide to starting a young sangha group; guide to starting a community triratnadevelopment.org/contact-us

Sangharakshita Land Project: the search goes on...

2011-07-08T05:26:00.002+01:00

Mokshapriya writes:

You’d be forgiven for assuming little had been done in the last three months given my sluggish blog but don’t be deceived. One of the challenges of keeping you up to date via this means of communication is the fact that whatever I write about recent property visits might also be read by the estate agents involved. Paranoia you cry! Well we know that one agent at least did check the blog out so, given the delicate nature of property purchase negotiations, I must continue to be cautious. Sometimes a property is almost good enough but doesn’t quite fit the bill so we inform the agent that we are not pursuing it and move on but nonetheless keep it in the background just in case our brief changes or we run out of options.

Over the past three months we’ve visited a number of possible sites including country estates, farms, priories, hotels and a retreat centre. Sometimes there’s just not enough space or potential footprint, sometimes the land is not private enough or well ‘ringfenced’, sometimes the road noise is too intrusive or the main building is too close to neighbouring properties, sometimes the public transport links are non-existent or the journey times too great from some parts of the UK. These are all problems we’ve encountered and usually it takes a site visit to know.

The word ‘compromise’ can be increasingly heard in our discussions. The phrase ‘something has to give’ is not far behind. Occasionally Karunika, Vajrasadhu, Sanghadeva, Dhammarati and I have met at Madhyamaloka in Birmingham to discuss the current options and to review procedure and progress. Invaluable though those meetings are there is an inevitable sense of frustration and concern particularly as we bear the eldest resident of Madhyamaloka (Bhante) in mind. We want to ensure that Bhante can enjoy a new base and witness the establishment of the new Dharma Training Centre and Library while his health permits such a move.

At the end of May Vajrasadhu stepped down from heading the search and I’ve taken it on. The brief we’ve presented to estate and land agents is 100-300 acres, a build footprint of at least 20,000 sq ft (with further potential), quiet rural location, costing up to £2.5 million, as UK central a location as possible. We are registered with all the major agents and I spend endless hours each week scouring the web but we welcome help! If you can find any leads - properties not yet advertised or perhaps listed with a small independent agent then do get in touch.

www.sangharakshitalandproject.co.uk

The Significance of the Buddhist Gate

2011-07-07T05:46:00.010+01:00

Amogharatna writes from Berlin:

Thirteen years ago Sangharakshita opened the Triratna centre in Berlin. He gave a short talk about the significance of the centre's name 'the Buddhist Gate'. This talk has now been published in order to help raise funds for the renovation of the recently purchased new Buddhist Gate. While referring specifically to the name of the Berlin centre, the talk is of universal relevance as it relates to the significance of Buddhist centres everywhere.

We are very grateful to Sangharakshita for his permission to publish his talk, and to Cornelia Siemens and Harald Eckhoff for their work in transcribing and translating the talk for publication. The bilingual booklet is available on a donation basis from Buddhistisches Tor Berlin (info [at] buddhistisches-tor-berlin [dot] de ). Enquiries from bookshops are also welcome.

After many months of planning and negotiations building work on the new centre is due to begin around the middle of July and will hopefully be completed by this time next year. The project's progress can be followed at www.buddha-berlin.de

Day with Dhammarati for designers in the Triratna Buddhist Community

2011-07-06T05:27:00.001+01:00

Jnanarakshita from the Triratna Development Team writes with news of an event for anyone currently working in print or web design within the Triratna Buddhist Community. It's a very rare opportunity to gain from Dhammarati's considerable experience in visual communication.

A day exploring how to make your design look and work better. Bring along a sample of your work for discussion. Learn from other designers in the movement how your work could improve.

Saturday 8 October, 10.00am - 5.00pm, Madhyamaloka, 30 Chantry Rd, Birmingham. Cost: by donation

For further info & to book, please email jnanarakshita [at] triratnadevelopment.org

Vishvapani and Dorothy Rowe Discuss Buddhism, Science and Reality at the North London Buddhist Centre

2011-07-05T05:32:00.005+01:00

Vishavapani writes:
On April 11 I took part in a special event at the North London Buddhist Centre: a dialogue between myself and Dorothy Rowe, a well known psychologist and author. She writes accessible but intelligent books on emotions and psychology with a somewhat subversive slant, the best known being Beyond Fear and Depression: the Way out of your Prison. Now in her 80s, Dorothy Rowe is a respected broadcaster and commentator with an impressive ability to write about common experiences with depth and honesty and express profound ideas with great lucidity.

Our connection started when Dorothy wrote appreciatively on her blog about one of my Thought for the Day broadcasts. I proudly put a quote on my website and eventually we got into dialogue. When I came to plan events to launch my book, Gautama Buddha: the Life and Teachings of the Awakened One, wanted to do more than just giving straight talks or Q&A, so I proposed a joint event. As Dorothy lives near the North London Buddhist Centre, where I am the President, I proposed an event there.

Interest was so strong that we did relatively little publicity, relying on local interest and personal invitations. Around 80 people came on the night, many of them friends and contacts from the worlds of British Buddhism, Interfaith, the media and psychotherapy as well as members of the NLBC Sangha and others from Triratna in London. The theme of the evening was focused by Dorothy's most recent book, Why We Lie? She argues that we lie to protect ourselves and that the ultimate reason we need this protection is that our sense of ourselves as fixed, enduring subjects who know for sure what is real is an illusion.

Paramabandhu, a London-based psychiatrist and Order member, chaired the evening. I spoke first, describing the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment and discussing his teachings in terms of truth and lies. I connected Dorothy’s discussion of lies with the Buddhist notion of delusion and suggested that the Buddha spoke of the ‘three great lies’ we tell ourselves: that the elements of our experience are permanent when they are actually impermanent; that they are solid and knowable when they are insubstantial; and that they we can rely on them to make us happy when they are bound up with suffering and unsatisfactoriness.

Dorothy started her talk by saying that "Buddhism is the only set of beliefs that have been proved right by science and have a scientific support." She was thinking of the Buddhist account of the self and approached her understanding of this by discussing the view of human identity that is being revealed by neuroscience She said:

"Our brain constructs things and creates fiction: a picture of the world. That picture is inside my head, but the brain persuades me that it is outside. We see the world as we have learned to see it, not as it is, and we are incapable of seeing reality directly. Some of the ideas the brain creates out of our experience become our sense of being a person. But these ideas are constantly being invalidated, and so we feel anxious and insecure."

Our discussion and the questions we were asked ranged over many topics, and I found the evening stimulating and enjoyable. I was struck that Dorothy’s main topic was, in effect, anatta – the Buddhist teaching that we lack a fixed self and I reflected that the Buddhists I know tend to shy away from this subject, or the connected topic of sunyata, perhaps thinking that it is beyond the level of beginners and perhaps prone to misunderstanding. It was bracing to hear it expressed as a vital truth and one that is confirmed by scientific observation.

I also reflected on how fresh and stimulating it felt to engage in dialogue with a thoughtful and sympathetic non-Buddhist. At times it seemed that the insights of psychotherapy and neuroscience into the human condition were interacting with the Dharma and each was casting fresh light on the another.

You can listen to the dialogue here: http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC760

Vishvapani is starting a blog at www.wiseattention.org.

First day retreat in Kerala fully led by Dhammamitras

2011-07-04T05:05:00.001+01:00

Arun Boudh, a Dhammamitra in Kerala, south-west India, writes:

On Sunday 19th June 2011 we had a nice one day retreat at Kodungaloor in Kerala. It was the first one day retreat in Kerala which was fully led by Dhammamitras! The whole retreat was conducted in our mother language, Malayalam, so it was very effective.

This retreat was conducted with the help of Kishore Babu, who is a very energetic man. He has strong faith in Dr Ambedkar and Buddhism. He had already attended our five day English residential course led by Ann Dennehy [now Dharmacharini Dayamudra - sadhu!] - through these five days we become strong friends. Kishore Babu collected more than 20 people and they made all the arrangements for the day.

The retreat was held at Kodungaloor. Kerala history says that Kodungaloor has a strong legacy of Buddhism. In the past there were lots of Buddhist people living near there, and lots of Buddhist institutions were located at Kodungaloor. Even nowadays people are excavating Buddhist statues and symbols at Kodungaloor!

It's more than a six hour journey from my village to the retreat place. Me and Dhammamitra Rejimon arrived there on Saturday morning.
On Sunday morning at 9.30 am, Rejimon inaugurated the retreat by lighting candles and we started with Refuges and Precepts and Buddha puja.  From 10.00 to 11.00am Rejimon taught anapanasati meditation practice.  At 11.15am we had tea and group discussion.  From 12.00 to 1.00pm Rejimon gave an introduction to the metta bhavana practice.  From 1.00 to 2.00pm we had very delicious food which people had brought from their families, each neighbour bringing an extra lunchbox for those of us who were attending from outside Kodungaloor.
After lunch I gave a speech about Dr Ambedkar entitled "Why did Ambedkar embrace Buddhism?".  After this we had discussion, lots of questions had arisen.  In the evening time we had an energetic cultural program and at 5 o' clock we concluded with the Dhammapalam Gatha ['verses that protect the Truth'].

For this one day meditation retreat we made 60 cushions. We are very happy about these assets. We would like to conduct a retreat at Kodungaloor once a month. Likewise throughout Kerala, we are going to conduct one day retreats!

With metta Arun.

[See also previous posts from Kerala]

"Colecta Karuna, Mexico" changes name to "Movimiento Karuna"

2011-07-03T04:13:00.009+01:00

Knowing now
that the life at which I aim
is a circumference
continually expanding
through sympathy and
understanding
rather than an exclusive centre
of pure self – feeling
the whole I seek
is centre plus circumference
and now the struggle at the centre is over
the circumference
beckons from everywhere.

Walking the Coast, Kenneth White

Mario Peña writes from Mexico:

Movimiento Karuna (Movement Karuna) is a project that proposes social integration, through a shift in consciousness, to respond more creatively to the suffering, hatred and indifference that are more and more common in society. The project emerged in 2008 as a bridge of connection between people that would like to help, but do not know how, and people that need help.

Helping without underestimating anyone, without an air of superiority, we can come to understand, experience and develop universal values.

Throughout the year we make collections in kind for the benefit of institutions, lectures, days of meditation and special workshops to help us understand and practice loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), sympathetic joy or gladness (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā).

In the last years we have done seven collections of different foods, toys, candy, and money to buy things that are needed. We also held two collections in the case of natural disasters that occurred in towns.
We are very happy with the results, but we see that in the time between collections we need others things that help us to keep up the practice and of course to help us clarify these emotions.

It is for this reason that we changed the name because we needed a name that means not only collections, but something more... We hope to show the results of these activities very soon.

Yours in the Buda, Dharma and Sangha
Mario

Stupa containing Dhardo Rimpoche's ashes inaugrated at Vimaladhatu Retreat Centre in Germany

2011-07-02T05:16:00.008+01:00

Jnanacandra (chair of Buddhistisches Zentrum Essen) writes:

What is a stupa? A symbol of the great Awakening that can happen in our own minds.... a symbol of the Path.... an object that makes us wonder, makes us stand in awe with a sense of something great, ungraspable, yet real...

Sunday 22 May was a very auspicious date indeed for Triratna in Germany: the day when we finally completed and inaugurated the beautiful Stupa in our Retreat Centre Vimaladhatu.
About 120 people came to Vimaladhatu for this occasion - the shrine-room had never been as full before! Our guests of honour were Rupadarshin, the stonemason and main creator of the stupa, and Mahamati who was master of ceremonies.

Rupadarshin touched many peoples hearts when he talked about his personal connection to stupas. Quite a few people who hadn't fully made that connection themselves later said that something in his way of putting it had reached them and made a difference. Rupadarshin also talked about the practical side of the work, including his struggles with the very hard and unpredictable stone and with tools frozen onto the stone on cold mornings! (You will soon be able to listen to this talk on FreeBuddhistAudio).

Mahamati gave a beautiful talk on Dhardo Rimpoche and his meaning for Triratna. Bhante Sangharakshita had entrusted one of his last relics of Dhardo Rimpoche to Mahamati, who had brought it to Germany to be enshrined in the stupa. The relic is a Tibetan-style "tsatsa", a mixture of clay and ashes moulded into the form of White Tara. Through this relic, and through his threefold message engraved in golden letters in the stupa, Dhardo Rimpoche's life and work have become a continuous influence and presence in our collective practice at Vimaladhatu.

The enshrinement happened in the context of a seven-fold puja. Mahamati started the Green Tara mantra and led us all in a long procession down the hill to the stupa. Here the container with the tsatsa was installed in the special cavity made for it, then the final stone was put into place. We recited Dhardos merits in call and response and three very loud 'Sadhus' resounded up to the realms of the devas who rejoiced and showered petals down on us.

You can see more photos of this joyous occasion and of the building process on http://vimaladhatu.de/index.php?id=140
It feels like we've done something daunting, significant, of lasting value. This stupa will stand there and do its magic long after we're all dead. Already the place does feel transformed in a very palpable way...

Latest news on This Being, That Becomes

2011-07-01T14:20:00.003+01:00

Dhivan gave a wonderfully insightful talk at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre on 26^th May, launching his new book, This Being, That Becomes to an appreciative audience. He will be arranging similar talks at a number of Buddhist Centres across the UK in the coming months.

We have also received a thoughtful review of the book by Vajrasakhi, available to view here.

I’m also including a video of Dhivan introducing the book:

This Being, That Becomes from Clear Vision Trust on Vimeo.

And a short description too:

"This being, that becomes; from the arising of this, that arises." This succinct formula, recorded in texts and carved in inscriptions throughout the Buddhist world, is said to summarise the whole of the Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha.

But how can such a simple summary be the conceptual formulation that characterises the experience of a Buddha, an ‘Awakened One’, a state beyond all words and concepts?

Dhivan Thomas Jones tells us how, and takes us into the heart of the Buddha’s insight that everything arises in dependence on conditions. With the aid of lucid reflections and exercises he prompts us to explore how conditionality works in our own lives, and provides a sure guide to the most essential teaching of Buddhism.

"Clearly and intelligently written, this book carries a lot of good advice."
Professor Richard Gombrich, author of What the Buddha Thought.

For more information, here is a link to the book on our website: http://www.windhorsepublications.com/CartV2/Details.asp?ProductID=749

Buddhist gives BBC's Reith Lectures!

2011-06-30T04:28:00.011+01:00

Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK), Buddhist and leader of Burma's democratic opposition, gives two of the 2011 Reith Lectures on the subject of Securing Freedom.

Her lectures, which were recorded in Burma and smuggled out of the country, focus on the struggle for freedom and democracy, the meaning of freedom and dissent and the responsibility of the international community.

Lecture 1: Dissent BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 28 June 9.00am, repeated Saturday 2 July 10.15pm

Lecture 2: Liberty BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 5 July 9.00am, Repeated Saturday 9 July 10.15pm

The 2011 Buddhafield Yatra - an account

2011-06-29T05:42:00.004+01:00

Triratna’s Buddhafield project does all kinds of things over their long summer season - retreats, festivals, cafes, and land management. At the time of writing, many of their core team are deeply immersed in a month-long silent meditation retreat - which will finish just in time to prepare for the annual 3,000-person Buddhafield Festival! Their previous retreat, however, was an unusual event, and Lokabandhu sends us this report -

“The highlight of last month was, for me, the Buddhafield Yatra. I thought it was totally great, it’s unlike everything else we do in Triratna and I would like to share an account of it with you - if anyone wanted to organize one themselves I’d be more than happy to advise.

“In essence a Yatra is a walking retreat; over 7 days 30 of us walked 60 miles, from Reading train station (an easy place to get to for the start) to Avebury (a vast megalithic complex dominated by the great stone circle: a fine place to finish). It’s a walk, but with a distinctive etiquette: we walk in silence, in single file, each hour of walking beginning and ending in a circle, with any words from the leader (or others, who might, for instance, have a poem to share) followed by everyone bowing to one another. The leader then leads off in a spiral, walking around the outside of the circle with everyone following. Behind the leader is a map-reader; at the rear is a backstop who ensures no-one gets left behind. Two vehicles, a van and a run-around car, stay with the day’s team of about 4 people; they tat-down the previous night’s camp, do the shopping, go ahead with the luggage and set up the next night stop, cook dinner, and welcome the weary walkers as they arrive. The car is available to pick up anyone who can’t walk the full distance. The roles all swap around, everyone plays their part. Morning and evening there’s time for meditation, Dharma talks, reporting-in and Puja or other rituals; the silent walking is of course mindful and an excellent way to practice Bhante’s ‘Four Levels of Awareness’.

“All that by itself would be enough to make a great event, but Yatras are much more too. Five aspects especially struck me this time - the landscape, the elements, the rituals, the community, and the journey back in time. The walk took us along the River Thames and up onto the Ridgeway, a 5000-year-old trackway across the high dry ground of the Wiltshire downs. Water gave way to Earth, Fire warmed us at night, Air buffeted us as Consciousness walked though Space. For me this was a delight, a week away from computers simply immersed in the present moment and our surroundings: big skies and big landscapes led effortlessly to ‘big mind’. It wasn’t all easy: we were fully exposed to the elements, even by Buddhafield’s minimal standards. At night, the only shelters were our tents and an awning hung off the side of the van. While walking, the only refuge was to be mindful of (and hang loose to) our experience rather than resist it. And we had weather in abundance - hot sun, strong wind, driving rain, blue skies, cold nights. Happily none lasted too long - we could see for ourselves that all things passed, the Three Laksanas held true…

Almost every night we camped at one or another ancient monument or hillfort, giving a wonderful backdrop to a series of improvised rituals. The first evening we started with the Dedication Ceremony, but thereafter took off into realms of creativity. Morning by the river, with rain threatening, saw a ‘baptism’ by Air and Water, based on a Biodanza exercise; that evening another by Fire and Earth - specifically, building and jumping a fire in the woods. The next morning, finding ourselves next to Scutchamer Knob, an ancient collapsed burial mound, we surrounded it and one by one approached the shrine in the centre of the amphitheatre-like space holding a Vajra, shouting our names to the wind, declaring our intentions for the day’s walk - to “walk with confidence, sensitivity, etc”. And off we went… At Uffingdon, on Dragon’s Hill at sunset, in the howling wind, we recited the Ratana Sutta and met, tamed, and befriended our Demons, this time calling their names into the wind. At Waylands Smithy, an ancient tomb in a beautiful beech-tree grove, we began what came to be several ceremonies connecting us with our Ancestors - those unknown people who first walked the Ridgeway and built (with stupendous labour) the many special places we were passing.

“We used verses and pujas by Dhiramati, to whom I’m profoundly grateful; he has such a gift with words and poetry. We began with his verses ‘To the Ancestors’; that night, by a fire in a field under the starry sky, his beautiful puja to Tara and the Elements. In the wide open space of Barbury Castle Akasaka led us in the Amoghasiddhi mantra and offering our intentions (symbolized by flower petals) to the wind. By this time Reading train station seemed a million miles and several thousand years away!

“Approaching Avebury, our destination, for two nights our only campsite and kitchen was the public car park and grass verge by the track: happily we were undisturbed. We’d tried and failed to find a more orthodox campsite for this part of the walk; it was clear how we as Yatrikas had in a sense gone forth from the regular world and (rather like the Buddha and his followers) been forced to take our chances night by night.

“Soon after our arrival we embarked upon an all-night vigil inside West Kennett Long Barrow; some 25 of us crowding in with almost 20 staying till dawn. Akasaka and I had drafted a seven-round ritual, recapping and building on the many ceremonies already performed. Each round had several stages, for instance the first, ‘Connecting with the Ancestors’ consisting of a welcome talk by Sean (a Druid as well as a Buddhist); entering the Barrow; creating a shrine and finding our places; Dhiramati’s 'Verses to the Ancestors' and 'Spirit Song'; the Ratana Sutta and an offering of one sunflower seed each inside the chamber; and finally the Aksobhya mantra and earth-touching mudra. The other rounds were ‘Setting our intentions for the night’; ‘Evoking our potential’ (verses and mantras to Amoghasiddhi and Tara, ending with extinguishing all lights and holding hands in the total darkness); ‘Confession and Acknowledgement of Regrets and Limitations’; ‘Aspirations and Next Steps’; ‘Rebirth and Re-emergence’ (in the first light of dawn); a ‘Retreat Metta and Transference of Merits’ and finally the recitation of Kalidasa’s wonderful 'Exhortation to the Dawn' at sunrise at 5.06am. Followed by the long walk back to our camp and sleep! The next day saw us end the Yatra by walking the mile-long Avenue into Avebury and reporting-out among the stones - and meeting Terry Dobney, Arch-Druid of Avebury and Keeper of the Stones, for a formal welcome into and most fascinating tour of the site.

“Probably not surprisingly, we were a pretty strong community by this time, even though we’d all spent many hours in silence, simply walking together. Certainly we’d all lived though an adventure together, ably facilitated by the excellent Buddhafield team. For me, it was a great combination of a simple and elemental life, a whacky adventure, and a serious contribution to our great shared enterprise of bringing Buddhism to the West, even, to re-imagining the Buddha. I’m over my word count by now so can’t say more; but there’s photos at http://tinyurl.com/684hpdl.

“With metta, Lokabandhu”

EcoDharma launch the Sila Network

2011-06-28T06:52:00.000+01:00

Last week Triratna News posted a story from Guhyapati outlining the EcoDharma Centre’s five-year vision and current opportunities. They've just launched a new initiative, The Sila Network, and are looking for people to join them. He explains -

“The Sila Network aims to help Buddhist Centres across Triratna bring the transformative power of the Dharma into effective relationship with society. It also seeks to support the application of Buddhist ethics to the 21st century. A number of Order Members, friends and mitras have been working together over the last year to create it”. “Central to our thinking was a conviction that as students of the Dharma, and in a time of planetary crisis, it’s essential we engage with the social context in which we find ourselves,” explains Alex Swain, who is taking on an administrative role in the network. “In Triratna,” she continues, “we speak of this in terms of ‘transformation of self and world’, and this initiative seeks to help make that a reality.”

The Sila Network team, which includes Guhyapati from the EcoDharma Centre, Lokabandhu from the Triratna Development Team, and Ben Jackson who is currently based in Berlin, has drafted the following mission statement:

“The Sila Network seeks to support institutions throughout the Triratna Community to exemplify ethical ideals, as applied to ecological sustainability and social justice issues. We want to help Buddhist Centres, businesses and communities to address ethical consumption, energy descent and radical simplicity, and to communicate about these choices in a way that inspires and encourages similar change in others. Applying Buddhist ethics to a 21st century context, we are seeking to support institutions within Triratna (including: Urban Buddhist Centres, Rural Retreat Centres, communities, Right-Livelihood initiatives and businesses) to embrace and exceed the best practice already evident in society at large. The network emphasises the “power of community” to address our shared ecological and social problems in the belief that, together, we can work towards a transition from non-sustainability and social injustice to a sustainable future and culture of compassion”.

“Dharma practitioners are aware that our ethical precepts need to be upheld consistently through all aspects of our lives,” says Lokabandhu. “It’s increasingly evident that the choices we make in how we consume, where we bank, who our energy supplier is, and so on, really do matter, especially when we stand together in bigger numbers.” With this in mind the Sila Network team feel that the Triratna Community has great potential to set an inspiring example for a culture which is too often preoccupied with individualism and consumption. It aims to assist our Triratna Centres to become beacons of ethical practice contributing meaningful solutions. “We hope,” explains Guhyapati, “ to support our shared aspirations of compassion and concern for the world, so that the power of the Dharma can continue to transform society, helping our Centres and institutions become exemplars and sources of inspiration.”

How can you help?

The team have already written to Triratna Centres in the UK and mainland Europe (where the initiative will focus for the time being), looking for one or two people within each local sangha to become ‘Sila Network Contacts’. They’re hoping to find, within local Triratna Sanghas, people with expressed concerns about sustainability and other social issues who might be drawn to work with the Network. Or people in local Buddhist Centre teams who’re interested in the help the Network could offer. Some Centres are already doing excellent work in these areas. So, there may be someone in your local centre team already engaged in this kind of work, and if there is, the Sila Network team would love to speak to them! They might also be able to help share their experience around the movement.

Can you recommend someone, or would you like to get involved? If so, please put yourself or them in touch with us, through our email address silanetwork@ecodharma.com

There will also be a meeting in the EcoDharma space at the Buddhafield Festival in mid-July. If you’re planning to attend, look out for it on the program and come and meet the team there.

Ordinations in India

2011-06-26T09:26:00.000+01:00

Triratna News is delighted to report that the following men were ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order on June 19th at Bhaja Retreat Centre, India:

Public preceptor Chandrashil
Private preceptor Amoghasiddhi:
Rangrao Rangari becomes Shraddhapriya, one who loves faith
Subhas Pudke becomes Alokvajra, Luminous diamond
Shilvant Nagarale becomes Kumarvajra, Prince diamond
Satyam becomes Asangavajra, unattached diamond
Nagvajra becomes Dhammasen, leader of dhamma
Utpal becomes Ratnakumar, Jewel Prince
Dilip Shende becomes Sugatpriya, beloved of Buddha
Vinod Dighade becomes Asangapriya, one who loves detachment
Dhruva Gajbhiye becomes Buddharatna, Buddha Jewel
Prajnavant Shende becomes Akshayamitra, indestructible friend

Private preceptor Lokamitra:
C.N.Nandeswar becomes Dhammanaga (meaning of name not yet given)
Trinath becomes Maitreyaratna (meaning of name not yet given)

Public preceptor Amoghasiddhi
Private preceptor Adityabodhi
Sikandar Ughade becomes Karunaditya, Sun of Compassion
Chandanshive becomes Shakyaditya, Sun in the shakya clan

Private preceptor Ratnashila:
Sunil Ghodke becomes Jinaratna, the Victorious Jewel
Ajay Patre becomes Nagdeep, the Luminous Buddha

Private preceptor Jutindhar:
Tulanand Barsagade becomes Jinasagar, Ocean of Conqueror

Private preceptor Yashosagar:
Jagdish Parmar becomes Vajradhvaja, banner of determination
Narendra Masaram becomes Vimaldassi, one who has pure vision

Private preceptor Amrutdeep:
Chandrakant Dhoble becomes Amrutsur, bravely striving for Nirvana

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

News from the Sangharakshita Land Project - and the 'Wise Building' at CAT

2011-06-24T06:40:00.003+01:00

Mokshapriya writes:

As part of my research for the Sangharakshita Land Project I was recently shown around the brand new 'Wise Building' at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Wales. When I think of us engaging in sustainable responsible and creative new build I would be truly delighted if we were able to follow a similar path to this complex.

The building is constructed out of low embodied energy materials such as hemp and lime, rammed earth and sustainably sourced timber. At 7.2 metres, the circular walls of the auditorium are the highest rammed earth walls in the UK and were my favourite element in the whole building. To make rammed earth walls, loose, moist subsoil is compacted in thin layers between shuttering or formwork. Mechanical compaction forces clay molecules to bond with the aggregate (a physical rather than a chemical bond), giving the wall its strength. The rammed earth provides structural support for the roof, but does not form the external walls – these are timber-framed glazing (on the south side) and hemp and lime. There is a corridor around the auditorium, between the rammed earth and the external walls. The rammed earth wall has a delicious texture and acts as a passive heat store as well as providing substantial sound insulation.

Apart from the 180-seat theatre the building holds seminar rooms, workshops, restaurant, outdoor spaces and 24 en suite twin bedrooms. It's heated by solar panels, biomass and passive solar. Basically it's a showcase building in sustainable technology and as well as being 'worthy' it's well designed. I've just read that the Daily Telegraph has awarded it the 'Top Building of 2010' and although I wouldn't agree that it's 'ravishingly beautiful' it is a building we can learn from and perhaps, with the right architects, even go beyond….

EcoDharma Centre announces Five Year Plan and New Opportunities

2011-06-23T06:44:00.001+01:00

Last month the steering group for Triratna’s EcoDharma Centre gathered in Catalunya in the mountains of Spain to give shape to the project’s five year plan. The group of ten people including Order Members and others closely associated with Triratna came together to take an important step in the development of the EcoDharma project.

“We have been carefully bringing this project to fruition for many years now,” explains the project’s founder Guhyapati. “We have taken an organic and patient approach, enabling the project to take root and mature gradually. That has felt like a wise approach for a land-based project. Now we are entering into a new and exciting phase, and our 5-year plan gives a clear and achievable focus to our shared vision.”

While organic and carefully paced, the project is an ambitious one with a number of different strands. It includes the continued development of the EcoDharma Centre as a centre of excellence in hosting retreats and educational courses. There will be a focus on Dharma and meditation, and especially on bringing the Dharma into relationship with socially engaged and ecological concerns. There is an important land-based dimension to the project, with intentions to develop and implement long-term sustainable land use including organic and permaculture-based agriculture and forest gardening. All of this rests on the foundation of a commitment to collective living and working, in an effort to exemplify the power and creativity of community.

The EcoDharma Centre is blessed with a stunning area of 50 hectares of woodland, fields, and rugged mountain land, flanked by Spanish national park and other common lands - shown in the photograph. The centre itself is just visible as the tiny white dot just to the left of the centre. This situates it in one of the wildest and most secluded settings in Triratna – ideal for the development of long-term retreat facilities and solitary retreat cabins. There are negotiations in process to purchase more adjacent land, with a vision seeking to preserve supportive conditions for the project for many generations to come.

Several opportunities have arisen out of the visioning process, and EcoDharma is currently keen to attract some additional long-term community members plus shorter-term interns and volunteers.

Long Term Land-Based Opportunity

For longer-term involvement, they are particularly interested in people who are passionate about land-based sustainability, permaculture, forest gardening, land and woodland management, ideally already with experience in these areas, or an especially keen capacity to learn! They are interested in individuals who want to contribute to the long term planning and implementation of these areas of the vision.

Internships for Younger People

The centre and community are also keen to support internships aimed at people keen to become acquainted with living in a practice-based community and exploring how the Dharma can interface creatively with the ecological and social issues of our times. These internships are aimed to support younger people to gain skills and experience in value-based collective and community project development.

During the next year or so the Centre will also be interested to hear from people with building skills and experience (especially sustainable building techniques and interests, although conventional experience is also a great asset) to take part in some forthcoming building projects.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to learn more about these opportunities, contact Guhyapati at info@ecodharma.com

Triratna Barcelona reports...

2011-06-22T05:44:00.000+01:00

Rijumati, part of the team developing the new Triratna Buddhist Centre in Barcelona, writes with an update, saying -

“Things have been very active on the Sangha front here in Barcelona. In April we organised to erect a large meditation dome at Barcelona's big alternative festival La Fira per la Terra. We taught about 150 people to meditate and gave out lots of publicity for our classes. Then I attended the Encuentro de Pascua, the Valencia Buddhist Centre's version of a Buddhafield retreat. We camped out at a venue near to the town of Caudiel, set in some lovely hills. Several of our friends from Barcelona attended. The weather was very British, it poured unrelentlingly most nights, several of the tents didn't survive. I gave a couple of workshops - in Span-glish - on community living and team based right livelihood.

Sinhendra and Rijumati

“The weekly introductory class in Barcelona itself continues to thrive, often there are 10-12 of us there. Since I am the only Order Member involved in the class who lives here I tend to lead the class when the others can't make it (Amalamati, Padmadharani, Paramachitta). It has been rather an initiation by fire to lead the class in my faltering Spanish, but the Catalans are very forgiving. Usually I get my good friend Obi to teach the meditation in Catalan, and then I lead a workshop on some aspect of meditation or Buddhism. The Sangha here is small, very warm and loves to meet up after the class. It is a delight to be part of it. Additionally Sinhendra and I have started a weekly practice night on Sunday evenings (Sinhendra still works in Valencia several days each week) where we meditate together, do puja and share a light meal afterward - meditacion, puja y tapas. That is quite popular with anything from 4-10 of us practising together.

“On 15th May we celebrated Buddha Day, the first Triratna celebration of Wesak in the city. We did a ritual on the Montjuic hill near the castle (one of five we are planning in the city) to help establish the Dharma here. Then I gave a talk about the Buddha's awakening - in a mixture of Spanish and english - followed by meditation and supper. It was a lovely half-day event with about 15 people and one dog attending.

“I have been doing some meditation teaching in English, a contact via Vajranatha. Currently I go to their home, but I am hoping to find a venue for an English language class soon, there are clearly many anglophones in the city who would be interested in learning meditation.

“I am also very busy in other ways: continuing to arrange the details of life here, ongoing work on my book (checking copy edit version, sending off images for the proofs), attending an intensive Spanish course each weekday, rebuilding the Barcelona Triratna website, administrative matters for the piso, and a regular flow of guest: things are busy. Siddhisvari is visiting for a month, she is considering moving here next year along with Nagesvara and Nuria Murcia.

“The summer is retreat season and I am currently setting up a couple of weekend retreats for the local Sangha. One will be in the summer somewhere close to the city. The other will be in the autumn and hosted by the Ecodharma community. Both we in Barcelona and the community at Ecodharma are keen to make the most of our mutual connections. Additionally in August I will be attending the annual summer retreat in the mountains of Montseny in Catalunya, organised by Triratna's Valencia Buddhist Centre. Several of our friends from Barcelona are intending to come.

“There is plenty of work to do and the money we receive through our Triratna Barcelona Just Giving Fund-Raising Page will be dedicated to paying for Sangha events like setting up weekend retreats (and for example covering expenses for the meditation classes at the Fira per la Terra ) or buying useful equipment like meditation cushions and mats.

“With metta,

Rijumati

Street meditations in Barcelona

2011-06-20T05:45:00.001+01:00

Just noticed on Facebook - a Spanish post by Rijumati, an Order Member currently engaged in setting up a Triratna Buddhist Centre in Barcelona. He’s been joining in the recent demonstrations there - but by meditating. He says -

Saludos para todo el mundo

Ayer hicimos una meditación en Plaza Catalunya con la gente del movimiento indignado. Fue un éxito. Hubo 20 personas ahí y dimos una introducción a la meditación. Era algo mágico que fuimos concentrados así en el centro de la ciudad. La gente del espacio armonía quiere que lo hagamos otra vez. Entonces hemos arreglado un programa de tres meditaciones cada semana.

Las fechas son: cada lunes, miércoles y viernes a las 18:30 en la Espai Harmonia (Plaza Catalunya, al lado de la fuente, casi haciendo "esquina" con Rambla Catalunya).

Quiero formar un equipo para dar la introducción al seguimiento de la respiración, si puedas ayudar escríbame un correo.

Espero que puedas asistir unas veces.

rijumati
movil: 633099661

We’ve translated it using Google Translate - crude, but good enough to get an idea of what's happening (and often funny!) What we think he’s saying is -

“Greetings to everyone.

“Yesterday we did a meditation in Plaza Catalunya with the movement of people angry [the demonstrators there]. Was a success. There were 20 people there and we gave an introduction to meditation. It was something magical and were concentrated in the center of the city. The space people [the organisers] want us to harmony again. So we arranged a three meditations each week.

“The dates are: every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18:30 at the Espai Harmonia (Plaza Catalunya, next to the source, almost making "corner " with Rambla Catalunya).

“I form a team to provide an introduction to monitoring the breathing [the Mindfulness of Breathing meditation], if you can help drop me an email.

“I hope you can attend a few times".

rijumati

On Wednesday we’ll bring you a fuller report from the Triratna Barcelona team .

News of Metta Vihara: construction work begins!

2011-06-18T06:38:00.001+01:00

Parina writes from the Netherlands with news of Metta Vihara, Triratna’s new retreat centre in Europe’s Low Countries, saying:

“On June 20^th Metta Vihara finally starts to build our new retreat centre! It’s taken us over 5 years to find a good location and 2 years of preparation for the building project, but here we are: it is actually happening! There’s no need to tell you all that starting a project like this means a lot of patience, persistence and faith. Sometimes it is good not to know what is coming next!

“We have felt many times that Mara is trying everything to obstruct our initiative. To mention a few: we found asbestos when demolishing the old barns and that meant a delay and 35,000 extra euros to remove it. Then the local authorities made some mistakes that delayed us by 3 months. Also the first design was too expensive so we had to start all over again. But... we didn't let ourselves be discouraged and moved on.

“The photograph shows an architect’s impression of the new retreat’s centre design (with its many white windows), set in its actual landscape. We think it might be the first purpose-built retreat centre of the Movement. Are we right? It is designed by Peter van Assche who has been a mitra for many years and an outstanding architect. He likes to think “out of the box”- an approach which is visible in the form and materials he uses. One of his statements about this building is that it has a beauty that is not too comfortable: it may even be confronting but it is a beauty that can help the guests experience or learn things on a deeper level, out of their comfort zone.

“The retreat centre will have a capacity of 22 guests in either one or two person bedrooms, plus a shrine room, dining room and library. We will use it for our ‘own’ retreats - we run over 20 per year already - and we will rent it out to other Buddhist and non-Buddhist groups as well.

“So, on June 19th we will celebrate the start of the building with a ritual called "the first stone" by Dhammaketu and Vajragita who are two of the founders of Triratna in the Netherlands and Belgium. A touring car with Sangha members from Amsterdam and Utrecht and many friends from Gent will come and we have invited the whole of the local (small) village to join us.

“We are very much looking forward to this ritual since it is also a way to express our gratitude to everyone who has been of great help for us, in all different ways. We will keep you posted in the coming months of the progress we make!

“With metta, Parina”

Ordinations at Guhyaloka

2011-06-17T06:08:00.002+01:00

Maniraja writes from the Guhyaloka Support Team to say “the Public Preceptors are pleased to announce that the following men were publicly ordained on Monday 13^th June 2011 in Guhyaloka:

Ray Force becomes Silanatha (bar over the “i” and the second “a”) a Pali name meaning “Protector of Ethics”, westernised spelling Silanatha, Private Preceptor Dharmadipa.

Allan Kirkman becomes Bodhinaga (bar over the first “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Serpent of Awakening”, westernised spelling Bodhinaga, Private Preceptor Amoghavamsa.

Andreas Kahari becomes Kusalananda, a Pali name meaning “He who finds joy, happiness and delight in what is Skilful”, westernised spelling Kusalananda, Private Preceptor Satyaraja.

Jari Ahvalo becomes Karunasiha (bar over the second “a” and the “i”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Lion of Compassion”, westernised spelling Karunasiha, Private Preceptor Saddhaloka.

Gabe Branbury becomes Prasadacitta (bar over the second “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “He whose mind is Tranquil”, westernised spelling Prasadachitta, Private Preceptor Shantinayaka.

Phil Daly becomes Dayabhadra (bar over the second “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “He who is auspicious and excellent through Kindness, westernised spelling Dayabhadra, Private Preceptor Jnanavaca.

Andreas Fisher becomes Sanghasevaka, a Pali name meaning “Servant of the Sangha”, westernised spelling Sanghasevaka, Private Preceptor Bodhimitra.

Steve Hart becomes Sajjana, a Sanskrit name meaning “A Good Man”, westernised Spelling Sajjana

Private Preceptor Maitreyabandhu.

John Bunting becomes Suvannamani (dot below every “n”), a Sanskrit name meaning “He who is like a Golden Jewel”, westernised spelling Suvannamani, Private Preceptor Vajragupta.

Rob Cloke becomes Maitridasa (bar over the second “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Servant of Loving Kindness”, westernised spelling Maitridasa, Private Preceptor Padmavajra.

Ady Griffiths becomes Vidyadasa (bar over the second “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Servant of Knowledge”, westernised spelling Vidyadasa, Private Preceptor Padmavajra.

Christian Richard becomes Ujumani (dot below the “n”), a Pali name meaning “He who is an Upright Jewel”, westernised spelling Ujumani, Private Preceptor Paramabandhu.

David Waterston becomes Satyadasa (bar over the third “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Servant of the Truth”, westernised spelling Satyadasa, Private Preceptor Ratnaghosha.

Jonathan Heddle becomes Sanghanistha (dot over the first “n” and a dot below the second “s” and the “t”), a Sanskrit name meaning “He who is devoted to the Sangha”, westernised spelling Sanghanistha, Private Preceptor Saddharaja.

The Public Preceptor for all the above was Satyaraja.

Ross Pearce becomes Dharmagatu (bar over the last “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “Singer of the Dharma”, westernised spelling Dharmagatu, Private Preceptor Buddhadasa, Public Preceptor Manjuvajra.

Jonny Jimenez becomes Padmasalin (accent over the “s” and a bar over the last “a”), a Sanskrit name meaning “He who is rich in Lotuses”, westernised spelling Padmashalin, Private Preceptor Saddharaja, Public Preceptor Moksananda.

SADHU!

A death in the Order

2011-06-16T06:14:00.003+01:00

Manjusvara

Nayaka writes from Dhanakosa, Triratna’s retreat centre in the north of Scotland, with the sad news of the death of Manjusvara, at Dhanakosa co-leading a fully-booked Wolf at the Door retreat with his colleague Ananda. This was following a serious stroke he suffered on Monday evening. Nayaka says -

“Dear Friends, I am sorry to have to inform you that Manjusvara passed away at 3.30 this afternoon. His brother was with him. The family have been very respectful of Manjusvara’s Buddhism and are intending to involve the Bristol Buddhist Centre in Funeral arrangements but have asked that in the meantime we do not contact them, but wait for them to contact us through the Order members they are already in contact with.

“With Metta, Nayaka.

Manjusvara was a much-loved poet, author of The Poet's Way, veteran fundraiser and mentor to many generations of Karuna fundraisers, and co-founder of Wolf at the Door, created with his friend Ananda to “to bring the wildness of imagination into our everyday lives”. He will be much missed.

Ordination in Manchester, UK

2011-06-15T08:45:00.000+01:00

Dayanandi writes from Manchester, UK with news of an ordination, saying - “I'm very pleased to announce that Kate Walsh received her Public Ordination at Triratna’s Manchester Buddhist Centre on Thursday June 9th at 6pm. The Public Preceptor was Dayanandi and the Private Preceptor was Dharmottara.

“Kate Walsh becomes Dharmakasara. This is a Sanskrit name meaning 'She who possesses or has access to a lake of Dharma'. (bar over third and fourth 'a'). The Westernised spelling is Dharmakasara.

“Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

“With metta Dayanandi

Poetry in Manchester

2011-06-12T05:49:00.003+01:00

Aryamati, an Order Member and writer from Manchester UK, writes saying - “When there’s a space, l'd be grateful if you'd include this in Triratna News:

"Triratna’s Manchester Buddhist Centre has formed a weekly Poetry group, where The Poet’s Way by Manjusvara has guided recent work.

"It's good to report that Aryamati has just won a Poetry prize at the University theatre, for a poem on Manchester - copied below. Also, the serious Manchester-based writing group Womenswrite is celebrating its 20th birthday with a book of short stories entitled ,'life, death...the whole damn thing' which impressed the UK’s Arts Council to renew its grant. One of Aryamati's stories, to be published in the book, was inspired by Ananda and his Wolf at the Door workshops: to make a story out of a list, in this case recalling a saintly godmother's life and death.

"Bhante encourages us to use our imaginations, to deepen meditation - and re-imagine the Buddha. He has helped those of us who try to write, with his own volumes of poetry. We owe gratitude to the encouragement we receive in Triratna for the developing of creativity, sharing ideas and practice.

BUILDING THE MANCHESTER CANAL 1820
I was young once – now old at twenty-four
each unlit dawn I walk five miles to work
to lay rough-hewn blocks along their canal.
But towpaths we build stretch right to the sea.

This labour separates my skin from my bones
its grime slimes our mouths, hands, feet, clothes
the muck we dig out for their freshwater canal –
It all started here, in Manchester's guts.

Foreman strides up, warm coat on, early as usual
‘We'll finish the towpath this month, if it kills me'
May not kill you, but a mate's sure to die.
Spades on tired shoulders, we march to his orders,

We dig hours all morning, we dig with bruised shoulders
weeks of hoisting stone on stone over rough rope
Some days we sing - till our throats stop croaking;
after 600 wounded, too scared to revolt.

And storms brew in this muddied, dank air
girders drown, locks sink, our names drown.
We build while they dance, we dig vast tombstones.
It all started down here, from our bodies and guts.

I never expected to be visiting Dorset (news from the Sangharakshita Land Project search)

2011-06-11T06:33:00.004+01:00

Mokshapriya writes:

For the past little while we’ve been investigating a property and site as far south as Dorset. Hardly central I know and far from ideal given that the journey time for central and northern UK centres is the same as to Padmaloka.

I could list it’s other faults but despite them all it does offer something we’ve not come across before - enough accommodation for 300 as well as a few other useful buildings which means we could be up and running in some sort of shape very quickly. Oh it also features a large and beautiful stone Grade I listed manor house dating from the early 17th century which has been beautifully maintained and could possibly accommodate the Dharma Training Centre and Sangharakshita Library. At the entrance are two huge 20th century imitation cottages which serve as lodges.

It’s last function was as a christian retreat centre. Let me share their blurb with you:

“Driving up the winding wooded lane to Chantmarle, you enter a world where historic charm, peace, spiritual inspiration and contemporary convenience blend beautifully together to offer all the needs a Christian Residential Resource Centre could possibly have. The Centre is nestled in 100 acres of beautiful Dorset countryside. Thomas Hardy country, and whether you are a family or a group of up to 222, we have the facilities to cater for your every need. If you are looking for a beautiful retreat centre to hold seminars, meetings, courses or just be together, then we have accommodation to suit every need.”

For many years Chantmarle was the Dorset Police Training College and in the fifties they built some remarkably inappropriate buildings to provide the accommodation, sporting and training facilities they needed. So, if we bought it, we’d have a beautiful mansion house, listed gardens, at least 100 acres and facilities to run large events. The obvious questions include: Why on earth would we want to take on the maintenance and running costs of a grade 1 listed mansion? Aren’t the other buildings horrible and in need of replacement? How do we make a place like that our own? Isn’t it just too far South? What about the ecological costs of running such a poorly insulated site? And so on.

So do we dismiss it and move on? Well we feel the need to carefully consider the pros and cons as with everything we come across that has some potential. At the moment we are costing the replacement of the entire oil fired heating systems and considering other immediate cost implications. If it still seems at least considering further we’ll arrange to book more people on site to get other perspectives. Otherwise we’ll put it down and move on a little wiser and better informed than before. Maybe we’ll find another gravel quarry next....

See also sangharakshitalandproject.co.uk

Latest news and developments from The Karuna Trust

2011-06-10T09:00:00.013+01:00

Andrea from The Karuna Trust writes:-

Dear Readers of Triratna News

Last week on Triratna News, Bodhiketu wrote about his experience of being on the pioneering Karuna ‘One Year Appeal’, known as Viramandala. They're a team of 5 men (Bodhiketu, Priyadaka, Silajala, Sanghanath and Jayaraja) who have been door-knocking in London since September 2010 to raise money for Karuna’s projects in India. In that time they have raised £400,000 to help India’s Dalit community. Here’s just some of the ways we spend the money raised on the doors.

Education - giving Indian children a good start in life
In India, as in many developing countries around the world, education is one of the key ways to reduce poverty and inequality. We're funding early childhood projects in Maharashtra, which teach parents how to interact with their child through touch and play. Through this we’re reaching 5000 parents and children aged from birth to 3-years.

Human Rights - placing forgotten people on the map
Nomadic and 'de-notified' tribes live in extreme poverty, have low levels of education and face extreme discrimination. With money raised on the doors, we’re about to fund a new partner, the New Initiative for Reclamation of Mankind (NIRMAN) who work with these forgotten people in the state of Maharashtra. NIRMAN's main aim is getting these people included in the India census. This means they'll be able to claim their state entitlements such as school places.

Women's Empowerment - creating a network of connection and support across India
The 2nd Karuna Women's Conference took place in India in February. It was attended by 24 female delegates from 12 of Karuna's partners. It's a unique event because it's specifically for Indian women working in NGOs.

The main outcome of the conference was the strengthening of 'Maitri for Development', a network of organisations addressing women's issues across India. Maitri will be a platform for women working in NGOs to share their skills and experience through a mentoring programme.

Karunadeepa, an Indian Order Member & NGO worker who works for Jeevak (a Karuna project partner based in Pune) was at the conference. She says "For me seeing so many projects do such good work and making a difference to people's lives was a learning experience."

Leadership development - encouraging Dalit women to become leaders
Dalit women especially lack self-confidence and access to proper information. This means, for example, they're often unwilling to meet with government officials to claim their state entitlements. This is especially the case in North Indian states such as Bihar where Dalits live in extreme poverty.

In response to this, we're initiating a leadership development programme for Dalit women in Northern India. This network will give Dalit women a supportive platform to voice their concerns and share their issues. Through this we'll be able to identify other women-led NGOs to join the 'Maitri' network.

Mind Change - reaching out to young Dalit and Tribal people
Young people from 'low-caste' backgrounds in India rarely have the opportunity to become community leaders. They often feel they have limited opportunity to influence change.

We're changing this by reaching out to 3000 young Dalit and Tribal people through our partner, the National Network of Buddhist Youth (NNBY).

The NNBY organise programmes & events across India specifically for young people enabling them to come together in large numbers to discuss the issues concerning them.

Award winning work
Jeevak, a long-standing Karuna partner, recently won an award in recognition of many years work in the Dapodi slums of Pune. This was the starting place for Karuna's work in India over 30 years ago. Sadhu to the Jeevak team!

If you’d like to know more about our work in India, please visit www.karuna.org

More than anything we rely on the generosity of Friends, Mitras and Order Members from The Triratna Buddhist Community who give their time to join 6-week door-to-door appeals or phone campaigns.

If you feel inspired by our work in India and would like a taste of fundraising as a spiritual practice we have plenty of opportunities. Click here for more information.

You can always call us on 0207 700 3434 or email appeals@karuna.org

Warm Regards

The Karuna Team

LBC Charity Shop makes £18 000 profit in first year of trading!

2011-06-09T06:00:00.014+01:00

Santavajri from Triratna’s London Buddhist Centre writes with news of their new Right Livelihood charity shop, Lama’s Pyjamas - and the healthy profit they’ve made in their first year of trading!

She says - “Lama’s Pyjamas is the London Buddhist Centre’s new charity shop in Bethnal Green. We sell clothes, bric-a-brac, CDs, DVDs, videos, toys, cards, jewellery, small items of furniture, books, and more. In fact, the only things we don’t sell are electrical goods and larger pieces of furniture. During the 17 months we’ve been open, we’ve sold all manner of weird and wonderful things, including bicycles, designer watches, and a wedding dress!

“The shop is a women’s team-based right livelihood business managed by a team of three, with another 10 or so volunteers and casual workers.

“In our first year, our gross takings were £73 000, of which £18 000 was profit. We employed three full-time workers on Right Livelihood support and paid a market rent for the premises. After re-investing some of the profit in the business, we were able to give £11 000 in dana to the LBC.

“It would seem that, in these times of economic hardship, charity shops can do very good business! We would be happy to share the experience we’ve gained over the last year with anyone in Triratna who is considering setting up a similar venture. Please email Claudine@lamaspyjamas.com, Padmalila@lamaspyjamas.com or Santavajri@lamaspyjamas.com for more information.

They have a website at www.lamaspyjamas.com.

Still a few places left on New Society event in Birmingham, 17-19 June

2011-06-08T11:51:00.000+01:00

Jnanarakshita writes:

Dear Friends, This is to let you know that we’ve had lots of bookings for this event, but there’s still a few places left if you want to join us.

On the weekend we’ll explore some of the principles and practices of creating Sangha together. What are the advantages and the challenges of Dharma work and of communal living?

The emphasis will be on achievable action and practical next steps, and the programme will include:

- a presentation by Vajragupta: "the New Society – why we need it and how to get involved"

- the launch of a new guide to starting a community, devised by Lokabandhu and others

- mini-talks from 5 or 6 young people who've recently joined or pioneered communal projects

- puja and shrine room practice

- time to meet with others

The New Society in principle and practice

7.30pm Friday 17 June to 4.00pm Sunday 19 June at Birmingham Buddhist Centre

Cost: dana (by donation). Accommodation available.

To book, or for more information: email Vidyaruci, matt.notmatt [at] yahoo.co.uk

or see the facebook page June Event: The New Society in Principle and Practice

Twelve women ordained in Spain

2011-06-07T09:15:00.000+01:00

Parami writes from Akasavana, Triratna’s ordination retreat centre for women in Spain, to say - “The Public Preceptors are pleased to announce that the following women were publicly ordained on Saturday 4th June 2011 in Akashavana:

Jo Bennet becomes Lokadhi, a Sanskrit name meaning "she who is wise about the world" (bar over the "i", westernised spelling Lokadhi); Private Preceptor Dhammadassin.

Juliette Durance becomes Sukamala. A Sanskrit name meaning "a beautiful or excellent lotus flower" (Westernised spelling Sukamala); Private Preceptor Kalyanasri.
The Public Preceptor for these was Ratnadharini.

Karenza Fullerton becomes Bhadrakari. A Sanskrit (and Pali) name meaning "she who creates auspiciousness" (bar over the last "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Bhadrakari); Private Preceptor Dharmanandi.

Yvonne Greenaway becomes Kulajalini. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who is equipped with the net of community" (bar over last "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Kulajalini); Private Preceptor Samachitta.

Tricia Leggat becomes Amlanadhi. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who has bright, unclouded wisdom" (bar over the second "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Amlanadhi); Private Preceptor Dhammadassin.

Ann Dennehey becomes Dayamudra. A Sanskrit name meaning "gesture of compassion" (bar over the second and the last "a", westernised spelling Dayamudra); Private Preceptor Viveka.

Val Blomfield becomes Vijayadipa. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose light is victory" (bar over the last "i" and the last "a", westernised spelling Vijayadipa); Private Preceptor Srivati.

The Public Preceptor for these was Parami.

Judith Tomlinson becomes Acarasraddha. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose shraddha is immovable" (an accent over the "s" and bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Acharashraddha); Private Preceptor Parami.

Lis Whitelaw becomes Danasamudra. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who has an ocean of generosity" (bar over the first and last "a", westernised spelling Danasamudra); Private Preceptor Parami.
The Public Preceptor for these was Vajragita.

Mieke Philips becomes Satyapara. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who is absorbed in, solely devoted to Truth" (bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Satyapara); Private Preceptor Akasasuri, an dPublic Preceptor Padmasuri.

Claudia McLoughlin becomes Akasadevi. A Sanskrit name meaning "goddess of infinite space" (bar over the first and second "a" and the "i" and an accent over the "s", westernised spelling Akashadevi); Private Preceptor Subhadramati.

Susanne Burtsche becomes Utpalacitta. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose heart / mind is like a blue lotus" (bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Utpalachitta); Private Preceptor Kulanandi.

The Public Preceptor for these was Maitreyi.

“Please note that, in order to avoid confusion and inaccuracy, the Sanskritists who check our names point out that the westernised spelling of the name should be used where it is not possible to indicate all the diacritical marks required in the proper Sanskrit / Pali spelling.

“With metta, Parami.

Two further batches of ordinations are expected soon, of men currently on retreat at Guhyaloka and at Bhaja retreat centre in India.

SADHU!

Vishvapani's ‘Thought for the Day’, on Karma

2011-06-05T05:52:00.008+01:00

To read more, or listen to the full piece, please visit the BBC website here www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00h9b0sVishvapani, an Order Member and regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ program, writes -

“Here’s a link to my most recent ‘Thought for the Day’, on karma.

He begins his piece by saying “My relief that the Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic is at last being subjected to international justice has a personal dimension. My father’s family were Jewish victims of the Nazis and my grandfather died in Sobibor Concentration Camp, so I feel a particular resonance with accounts of Central European genocide. Most chilling for me, and most reminiscent of the Nazis, was the cool deliberation behind the Srebrenica massacre when the state turned its power on Bosnian Moslems killing 8,000”.

His previous post, is also available. Celebrating the recent Buddha Day festival, he manages to explain ‘What is Enlightenment?' in 2 mins 45 secs!

Sangharakshita's Diary, May 2011

2011-06-04T05:41:00.002+01:00

Vidyaruchi, Sangharakshita's secretary, writes with his monthly update on Bhante's activities, saying -

"There is little to say this month, for, aside from a visit to the acupuncturist, there have been few disruptions to Bhante's usual routine of visitors and walks in the garden. Even the audio books have been largely unheeded, as most of Bhante's attention has been occupied with his current writing project, called 'Reveries and Reminiscences', the first instalment of which appears in this month's Shabda, and the dictating, typing, and editing of which generally takes much of our morning session.

"As well as progress with a new literary project, the last month has seen previous publications receiving attention from outside of Bhante's typical readership. The novelist Robert Irwin published in the Guardian his list of 'top 10 quest narratives', which included The Thousand Petalled Lotus at number 8 (as well as Lama Anagarika Govinda's The Way of the White Clouds). In praise of the book, Irwin says 'since Sangharakshita has a razor-sharp mind, this book can be read with profit even by those who have no interest at all in religion'. Unfortunately, now that the book has been conflated with Learning to Walk, and is published as The Rainbow Road, interested readers may not know how to obtain copies themselves.

"Fame may also be looming for What is the Dharma, which is due to play a key role in the plot of a Hollywood Film. The Fourth Noble Truth will star Harry Hamlin as a wayward movie star and Kristen Kerr as the meditation teacher assigned to rein in his excesses. What is the Dharma will be a gift from teacher to student, and an inner change in Hamlin's character will be reflected in his changing responses to the book. We hope such exposure of Bhante's books will help them become better known, and thereby further their purpose and message.

"With metta, Vidyaruchi."

A new piece of writing by Sangharakshita, 'Reveries and Reminiscences', has recently been completed and will be posted on his website - www.sangharakshita.org.

Six New Talks on Buddhist Right Livelihood Practice: new series of talks from Windhorse:evolution now available

2011-06-03T05:50:00.007+01:00

Saddharaja, a long-standing Order Member and Staff Welfare Officer at Windhorse:evolution, Triratna’s largest and most successful Right Livelihood business, has embarked on an ambitious series of six new talks on Right Livelihood. The first of these, Meaningful Work and Values (The pleasures and sorrows of work) is now available on Free Buddhist Audio at www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC780, and others will follow as soon as they are given. You can track their progess on Windhorse’s scrapbook blog (which doubles as a fascinating archive of their history)

In the talks he draws on his 20 years experience of Right Livelihood (team-based and otherwise ), saying -

“I aim to make conscious a path of spiritual practice and a healthy, human way of working within the modern world. A way of making our work at Windhorse:evolution (w:e) a genuine vocation. Hopefully, the talks will be interesting to everyone – Buddhist or not. I often ask myself the question what is Right Livelihood? What are the practices and how do we deepen them? Can anyone practice them, Buddhist or otherwise? What are the core teachings of Right Livelihood (RL)?

“We have a body of right livelihood experience and teaching within w:e, but my impression is that it isn’t coherently communicated and presented. Precious teachings, but not easily available. In Triratna, we have Sangharakshita’s Perfect Livelihood chapter in ‘Vision and Transformation’. There are other texts and teachings in our Movement too, but no one main source.

“So this is 2011, and society continues to change apace. Some of the traditional (and Triratna) approaches to right livelihood, while completely sound, can seem to me a bit dated – they don’t reflect how we live and work now.

“In the last three years I’ve been exploring ideas on Right Livelihood with Vajragupta (he who wrote The Triratna Story and other books). We’ve come up with six themes which might form a fresh look at Buddhist right livelihood practice – relevant to the needs of society today, whilst retaining the best of the traditional practices. The aim is that these approaches may form the basis of a book. Hopefully the ideas of Vajragupta and myself will stimulate discussion and experimentation within the business, and who knows – might even lead to some of us breaking through into something greater.

“The chart below outlines the themes of the 6 Talks. Each talk looks at a particular ‘challenges’ we can encounter in modern working, and how we might find solutions to them. The first talk is now out, more coming soon!

“There are many more teachings on RL in the Buddhist tradition, but these are the absolute essentials. You don’t think you need to be a Buddhist to appreciate many of these teachings, they are relevant to anyone – whether secular or belonging to another religious tradition”.

Windhorse:evolution is based in Cambridge, UK, where it employs over 100 people. Vacancies arise from time to time, those interested in applying are invited to check their latest adverts on Triratna Jobs.

Seven women ordinained in Australasia

2011-06-01T05:31:00.001+01:00

Purna writes from New Zealand with news of the ordinations of seven women in Australasia, saying -

“At a Public Ordination ceremony held at 8pm on Sunday 22 May at Shambhala Retreat Centre, Golden Bay, New Zealand, Clare Feeney was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order as Muditanandi, a Sanskrit name meaning ‘She who delights in sympathetic joy’. Her private preceptor was Varadevi and her public preceptor was Megha.

"At the Public Ordination ceremony held at 2pm on Thursday 26 May, also at Shambhala Retreat Centre, Golden Bay, the following Dharmacharinis were born:

Cheryl Hyde became Kamalamayi (Pali) – 'She who is full of the lotus'. Private preceptor Chittaprabha.

Anne Barrey became Dharmamodini (Sanskrit) – 'She who rejoices in the Dharma'. Private preceptor Chittaprabha.

Helen Commander became Vimalashri (Sanskrit) – 'She whose radiance is pure'. Private preceptor Varadevi.

The Public Preceptor for these was Megha

Janet Hughes became Viryaja (Sanskrit) – 'She who is born from energy in pursuit of the good'. Private preceptor Megha.

Jenny Cornish became Yashokaruna (Sanskrit) – 'She whose compassion is beautiful'. Private preceptor Megha.

Lisa Raby became Dantachitta (Sanskrit) – 'She whose mind is tamed'. Private preceptor Megha.

The Public Preceptor for these was Varadevi.

With Metta, Purna, (sent on behalf of Varadevi)

Angels in the morning, Dragons in the evening: fund-raising for Karuna

2011-05-31T05:19:00.002+01:00

Bodhiketu writes from London with news of Karuna's 'One-Year Appeal', now over half way though. He says - "In September 2010 Triratna's Karuna Trust started an ambitious project to establish a year-long men's door-knocking community in London Buddhist centre mandala, which Bhante named Viramandala, 'Circle of Heroes'. The team was led by Jayaraja and included Priyadaka, Silajala, Sanghanath, Paul Crosland and Bodhiketu. So how has it been going?

"Those who have done appeals will know that the cocktail of spiritual practice and door-knocking is a particularly potent mix and we quickly formed very strong friendships between us, astonishingly fast in fact, through this intensity. The first two appeals from September into December took us from delightful, balmy Autumn evenings into dark, freezing nights. That was hard – Sanghanath would often head out with three fleeces and two pairs of thermal long johns under his normal clothes.

"The thing that really surprised me was quite how willing many, many people were to stand at the door and chat with you though, about anything, really intimately. Someone you had never met before wanting to connect with you. I remember one mum pulling a face as she slipped out of the door to confide how she had one very grouchy teenager in the house ... then we talked for half an hour.

"For three weeks over Christmas we headed out to India to see some of the projects for ourselves. For me, many highlights - meeting my old friend Ratnadeep again after many years, the wonderful Ajanta caves, watching Jayaraja take on the Maharashtran boxing team at arm wrestling on an overnight train, seeing Sanghanath in his homeland, realising the revolutionary effect of micro-finance groups in the Pune slums, and then returning to an incredibly peaceful, clean and spacious sense of Bethnal Green!

"Beyond that was a real spirit of brotherhood that existed between us, real community. On our return we were soon into door-knocking again. Still cold in January but Spring came, with more light in the evenings. There was always someone in the team who was on fire – bringing in lots of direct debits – always someone in a rut. It was never the same. The practice was to try and rejoice in the overall success.

"In March Paul decided to leave us – he felt he'd gone as far as he could this time. In May my own door-knocking ground to a halt, but I'm staying on to support the others and work at Karuna until August. Hey, it was always going to be a tough call ... so no regrets ... proudly we bear the scars of great battles.

"Anyway, despite this it has been a great success, raising over £400,000 so far for Karuna’s work in India. So much so that we decided to extend it into a second year and are currently looking for men to join us for six weeks, three months or longer, from now onwards.

"It's a great community and we'd make you very welcome. Door-knocking is a way of making a real difference in the world as well as a powerful means of self-awareness and personal transformation. You don't need any prior experience of fund-raising to give it a go, just a willingness to learn and engage with the process. If you're interested there's an advert in the jobs section (click here). Why not give us a call and find out more?

With metta, Bodhiketu"

India and Sri Lanka exchange Dharma teachers

2011-05-27T05:52:00.000+01:00

Ujukarin, from Sri Lanka

Prajnajit, from India

Ujukarin, a Dutch Order Member who’s a regular visitor and Dharma teacher in Sri Lanka, writes with news of an ongoing India - Sri Lanka collaboration. He says - “Some years back myself and my friend Prajnajit from India made a vow: we each would spend 25% of our annual Dharmaduta (Dharma teaching) time to assist one another in the neighbouring country. Prajnajit did his part during three months in Autumn 2009, which was described in detail in this blog http://fwbo-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/ujukarin-dutch-order-member-who-is.html . And now, I who am only able to give part-time to my Dharma teaching work, spent 10 days in India to ‘pay back the debt’.

“Our tour was mainly around Umarga town, with a population of 30,000 in the south-eastern tip of Maharashtra state; it has a Bahujan Hitay boys hostel and a Buddhist meeting hall (vihara) in town. Basically what we were aiming to do during my visit was to enhance the regular Dhamma talk schedule of Prajnajit, plus those of visiting Order Members like Abhayabhadra from Pune. We visited two rural towns nearby, the larger city of Osmanabad 100 km to the west and of course Umarga vihara; overall attendance over five nights must have been in the range of 500-700 people. Also during transit in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), 200 km to the east, we had an inspiring evening with the local sangha in their vihara. The talks were successful, and made it on to the pages of at least four local newspapers; the topics we spoke on often linked Buddhism to practical family life in Asia, e.g. parenting, politics, and how to avoid astrology and the dowry system!

Chanting mantras at the start of the Osmanabad event,
with Prajnajit and Ujukarin upfront

“What impressed me most, as well as the usual exemplary hospitality of the Indian Buddhists and the dedication of Order Members and Dhammamitras of course, were the more and more varying circumstances in which we were working, compared to Holland and Sri Lanka. The traditional pattern of oppressed ex-untouchables certainly still exists, as we found for instance in Betjawalaga village close to Umarga. Not only did we need to hold a small ‘procession’ prior to the meeting to demonstrate that all parts of town, including the high-caste ones, weren’t off-limits to the Dalits; we were also told it was better to avoid directly attacking Hindu gods and goddesses in the talk (though this was something Buddha often did) as this could lead to future repercussions on our friends. One very interesting occurrence, on the other hand, was that when we held Triratna day in Umarga we had a smaller audience than we expected. On making enquiries, we found a main reason was that on the same day a popular Hindu temple had held a festival which also attracted quite a few Dalits. That situation sounds positive to me: not so much in terms of ‘more spiritual competition’ but in terms of a new generation of Hindu temples starting to arise which don’t care anymore about the caste of a visitor, or even whether they call themselves Hindu at all!

“Overall it was a very inspiring trip; the Umarga sangha hopes for many more volunteer visitors from the West, whether Order Members or groups of mitras!'

"Click to Listen" from Free Buddhist Audio

2011-05-24T14:26:00.002+01:00

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

Free Buddhist Audio is the online source for Dharma talks and meditation resources from the Triratna Buddhist Community. We are visited by people all over the world, with 150,000 users every year accessing more than 1000 talks from 11 different countries. And since we launched at the end of 2006, we have served over 1 million Dharma downloads!

The FBA team has just revamped the home page with an important message from our Director, Candradasa:

Click to Listen!

In order to provide our services at Free Buddhist Audio, we depend on the support of our community of users. Websites like ours are complex and cost a lot to maintain, and while many have given generously over the years it still surprises us that less than 1% of people who download ever make a contribution to the site.

So, if you appreciate the work of Free Buddhist Audio please consider making a supporting contribution now. You make it possible for us to spread the Dharma throughout the world... Thank you!

Tools For Living Your Life - best read on RED

2011-05-22T06:12:00.000+01:00

Recently spotted in the current issue of RED: an interview with Ines de la Fressange, the French model and designer of fashion and perfumes - and, it turns out, an admirer of Vajragupta’s books.

When asked about her ‘BEST READ’ she responds - “I like books about Buddhism and meditation, such as Buddhism: Tools For Living Your Life, by Vajragupta (Windhorse, £10.99). I like the idea of being in the present moment and emptying your head of aggressive thoughts. Every time l finish a book, I convince myself I am going to be like the Dalai Lama, but then immediately forget it all and go back to huge stress and thinking bad thoughts about everyone [Iaughs]. She goes on to say the BEST THING IN LIFE is...to understand that you are alive.

Tools For Living Your Life should be available from most Triratna bookshops, though it is currently out of print. Copies are also available from Amazon.

Kerala Buddhists visit Nagaloka

2011-05-20T05:46:00.002+01:00

Following yesterday’s story from the students on the six-month Dharma Training Course at Madhyamaloka, in Birmingham UK, today’s picks up a similar theme - but from a very different part of the world. For the last eight years at Nagaloka, Triratna’s study centre in central India they’ve been intensively training young Buddhist men and women in the basics of Dharma and social work; the graduates have returned home and worked in many ways to create Sanghas all across India - including Kerala, in the far South. Now Vivekaratna writes with news of some fruits of this work, saying -

“On 12th April evening at Nagaloka we welcomed a party of 22 female, 30 male and 12 children, all visitors from Kerala. Most of them were the relatives and friends of our graduates Rejimon and Binojbabu, ex-trainees of our first & second batches of students. They had encouraged them to visit Nagpur to experience the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. These are always a special celebration in Nagpur, almost as much as the anniversary of the Dhamma Revolution.

“We had a day retreat with them on 13th April, with meditation teaching in the Malayalam language of Kerala, plus a lecture by me on the ‘Importance of Buddhism’ specifically related to the needs of Dalit communities as suggested by Dr. Ambedkar. Since I cannot speak in Malayalam it was translated by Rejimon. The retreat concluded with Puja in the evening.

“On the morning of 14th April they all participated in revering Dr. Ambedkar in by offering flowers and candles to his statue in the Nagaloka gardens. That evening they visited localities and the Deekshabhoomi (where Dr. Ambedkar converted with 300,000 followers in 1956) to experience the enthusiasm and joy of Ambedkarites in Nagpur. Rejimon took them to our Ven. Hsuan Tsang Retreat centre at Bor Dharan on 15th April.

“They were very happy to visit and to stay at Nagaloka. In fact it is an achievement that through the work of NTI graduates we are able to spread Dr. Ambedkar's message and Buddhism in Kerala state”.

With Metta, Vivekaratna

Update from Madhyamaloka's Dharma training course

2011-05-19T06:15:00.000+01:00

Richard Millington writes from Madhyamaloka, Triratna’s large community in Birmingham UK, with news of their 6-month Dharma training course for young Buddhist men, which is well underway now. He says - “We thought it would be good to send out an update to everyone! There are nine of us on the course, with international representation from Tomas Lindblom (Sweden) and Chris Menz (Australia). Also in attendance are Vimokshadaka, Ben Mann, David Basak, Richard Turner, Leigh Smith, Mat New, and me.

“Over the length of the course we’ve gone more deeply into the fundamentals of the Dharma and the principles behind the Triratna approach to Buddhism. We’ve been made very welcome by the Madhyamaloka community, who have given up substantial amounts of time and energy for the course (honourable mention to Sanghadeva, who has been preparing restaurant standard food almost every day since we arrived).

“Vidyaruci has done a great job of planning the material and organising teachers, and we’ve had some really interesting and fruitful material. Since the course began we’ve done two retreats with Subhuti (one on Bhante’s system of meditation and one dealing with the Satipatthana Sutta); study skills and critical thinking classes with Jnanaketu; Sangharakshita’s approach to the Dharma and the history of Buddhism with Vidyaruci; ethics with Devamitra; Dr Ambedkar and the Indian Movement with Dharmashalin; reflection and insight workshops with Dhammaloka and Jnanaketu; skilful communication with Dhammarati; meditation days with Paramartha; logic with Vidyaruci; the Pali Canon with Sagaramati and Saraha; devotional practice with Mahamati; the Perfection of Wisdom literature with Abhaya; and Buddhist approaches to Mind and Science with Ratnaprabha. [phew! - ed]

“We’re also keeping up a strong arts and culture element to the course, with screenings of world cinema and theatre, classical music evenings (a trip to see one of Dvorak’s string quartets), and a group reading and analysis of Hamlet. (I’m reliably told there is also a secret group that meets occasionally to play Dungeons and Dragons). We’ve just put on a ‘sub-35 retreat’, where a group of us gave talks on the Threefold way of Ethics, Meditation and Wisdom.

“Perhaps the most striking thing about the way the course is developing is the sense of warmth and trust that is emerging within the group. There is an atmosphere of mutual supportiveness that at times is quite wonderful. Speaking personally, the opportunity to take a break from day-to-day responsibilities to practice the Dharma intensively, and engage with higher culture more generally, has been invaluable.

“The guys all seem relaxed and happy and we’re all benefiting in our various ways from the course. We’ll send through another update before we finish, but until then, we’d like to say a massive thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, energy, resources or money to make it possible.

“With gratitude and metta, Richard Millington

Student interviews from the Triratna Dharma training course at Madhyamaloka

Click the embedded video for an interview with Vidyaruci and others on the course, lying on Madhyamaloka’s lawn in the blissful Spring sunshine. Or here for the direct link.

Upcoming ordinations in New Zealand

2011-05-18T05:49:00.002+01:00

Purna writes from New Zealand with new of the upcoming ordinations of seven women in New Zealand, starting today! He says - “The Private Ordinations of the following women will take place at Shambhala Retreat Centre, Golden Bay, New Zealand:

Wednesday 18 May
11am Clare Feeney (Private preceptor Varadevi)
4pm Helen Commander (Private preceptor Varadevi)

Thursday 19 May
11am Lisa Raby.(Private preceptor Megha)
4pm Jenny Cornish (Private preceptor Megha)

Friday 20 May
11am Cheryl Hyde (Private preceptor Chittaprabha)
4pm Janet Hughes (Private preceptor Megha)

Saturday 21 May
11am Anne Barrey (Private preceptor Chittaprabha)

“The public ordination will be at 2pm on Thursday 26 May. With Metta, Purna, (sent on behalf of Varadevi)

All the above times are local New Zealand time, which is + 12 hours GMT, or + 11 hours UK Summer Time.

Meanwhile, both the Guhyaloka and Akasavana ordination retreats are well under way, with the ordinations of significant numbers of men and women expected before long. We’ll bring you full details as soon as they emerge.

Celebrating Wesak At Windhorse

2011-05-17T16:30:00.000+01:00

This morning, Windhorse:evolution in Cambridge celebrated the Buddha’s Enlightenment. This was our second such Wesak event, and the theme was – Unfolding of the Lotus. This was the climax of several weeks of preparation involving people throughout the business. The warehouse staff have had a period of intensive practice, including silent working periods and rituals, and people from the whole business have participated in two ritualised morning events, held over a fortnight. These were to create a lotus border around the perimeter of the Stupa area, the central sacred space of our business. Having purified, prepared and decorated this ritual space, we were then ready for the main devotional event of our warehouse year – Wesak/Buddha Day!

This year our celebratory ritual centred on a long spiral procession around the offices and warehouse, chanting the Shakyamuni Mantra along the way. We accompanied it with a wide range of drums, bells, conchs and flags, as we walked inside and outside the building. We started in one sacred space – our Shrine Room, and concluded in another – the Stupa Area. The procession stopped at eight beautiful specially made shrines, placed around the building. At each we heard readings about the Buddha’s journey towards Enlightenment, followed by rousing call and response verses.

Before entering the Stupa area, we heard the story of the Buddha’s first teaching of the Dharma. Here, everyone picked up a Buddha Rupa, and whilst chanting the Shakyamuni Mantra completed their journey to the Stupa. There each person placed their Rupa in a niche, producing a vast wall containing over sixty Buddhas. We finished in a more reflective devotional mood, with a meditation led by Kavyasiddhi, and a Sevenfold Puja led by our Managing Director, Keturaja. The morning’s celebration concluded in time-honoured fashion, with a delicious festive shared lunch!

Many thanks go to Vidyavajra and Samudraghosha for all the work they put in to organising this for us.

Fırst Mıtra Ceremony in Turkey

2011-05-16T05:39:00.001+01:00

Vajracaksu

Vajracaksu, a Turkish Order Member living and working in Istanbul, where he runs a small Triratna Buddhist group, writes with news of their Sangha’s first Mitra Ceremony. He says -

“I’m very pleased and happy to announce that Onur Pinar has recently become the first person to become a Mitra in Turkey. We celebrated the event with the traditional Mitra Ceremony at my small home studio in Istanbul,. Onur first meditated and made contact with Buddhism, through me, almost two years ago on the 17th June 2009. He first did a six week mindfulness meditation course with me 4 or 5 months later which had a deeply positive effect on his life. For example, by the end of the course he felt a lot calmer and more peaceful; was in good spirits a lot more of the time; expressed his love more; and felt more loved as well. Since then he’s done at least 6 or 7 courses.

“Gradually Onur became interested in the Dharma too and in particular loved (and loves) listening to and reading transcripts of Bhante’s talks, in particular his talk on “Fidelity” (available of couse on FreeBuddhistAudio) which he’s returned to again and again. He has strong feelings of respect and fondness for Bhante. Then he turned to the writings of Ratnaghosha, especially his talks/essays on Kshanti, and again he’s returned to these regularly. He is very grateful for the gift of the Dharma and regularly expresses his feelings of gratitude to and for Bhante, Ratnaghosha and myself.

“Last summer he visited with me our Movement in England: staying in Sukhavati community, visiting Triratna’s London Buddhist Centre, visiting Cambridge and meeting Ratnaghosha and asking him 7 questions (!), and doing a weeks’ retreat at Triratna's Padmaloka retreat centre. He had a great time, in particular loved his experience of sangha. And from that time on he’s been thinking about becoming a Mitra and on the 24th April 2011 making the traditional offerings of a flower, a candle and a stick of incense he joined the 10,000 strong international Mitra community.

“Sadhu my friend! Long may the Dharma inspire and guide you”.

Details of Vajracaksu’s classes in Istanbul are available on his website at www.farkindalikmeditasyon.com

making the traditional offerings of flower, candle, and incense during the mitra ceremony in Istanbul

Sweetheart, Come!

2011-05-15T05:53:00.000+01:00

Amitajyoti writes from Triratna’s London Buddhist Centre to say - "Dharmacharini Vishvantara has won a commendation in the Larkin and East Riding Poetry Prize 2011 judged by Douglas Dunn. This is the poem she won the commendation for.

Vishvantara

Sweetheart, Come! (1909)

The husband’s visits are generally deferred
though she writes to him daily: ‘Sweetheart, Come!’
Her letters tend to be just those two words.

Two eminent physicians have concurred
dementia praecox. Nothing can be done.
The husband’s visits are generally deferred.

Pencil strokes like feathers of dark birds
form text in bars or columns like a sum.
Her letters tend to be just those two words.

His address is printed clear and undisturbed,
yet time will show another recipient won.
The husband’s visits are generally deferred.

The warders boast no tantrums have occurred.
At mealtimes they shout Cheer up, Sweetheart Come!
(Her letters tend to be just those two words.)

Hours go by and find she’s hardly stirred.
White space turns grey, then black and finally dumb.
The husband’s visits are generally deferred;
her letters tend to be just those two words.

From the Page to the Oral Tradition – Giving Voice to a Book on the Buddha

2011-05-14T14:30:00.002+01:00

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

This is the final part of our celebrations to mark the launch of Gautama Buddha, a major new series of talks by Vishvapani available now on Free Buddhist Audio with specially selected excerpts from the talks available below.

Read Part 1 and Part 2. [links]

It’s fitting that this companion series of talks to ‘Gautama Buddha – The Life And Teachings Of The Awakened One’ (Quercus, 2011) can be heard in the context of their source material and also of the great Indian oral tradition that remembered and reverenced Gautama over millennia. Everything we know about the Buddha has survived as a result of being passed on in that way, from person to person, and Free Buddhist Audio seeks to continue this essential work. This fresh re-imagining of the Buddha by Vishvapani is an ideal place to start for anyone who has ever wondered what Buddhism was all about or simply wished to listen for how one person’s quest after truth can resonate with their own, often in unexpected ways.

In talk 1, ‘Searching for the Buddha’, Vishvapani explores the presence of nature in the Pali suttas, exploring its significance in the texts, in our own contemporary mental landscapes and in the imaginative life of a country and its people. Ancient India comes alive as we wander with the Buddha, facing his fears amongst the ghosts of the jungle.

“There is value in seeing the Buddha as different from us, of unearthing the society and the culture in which he lived, that shows us things of actual meaning and significance: the value of changing our states of mind, and how that creates a whole world view, and the value of facing even the most difficult and dangerous fearful aspects of our experience.”

Listen to 'Hidden Treasures of the Pali Canon' FBA Dharmabyte:

In his second talk, ‘Imagining Gautama’, Vishvapani traces his own relationship to the Buddha, from early family connections arising out of the turmoil of war to his experience of writing the book itself. In doing so he explores the tricky work of trying to engage with the imagination constrained and disciplined by the historical evidence. What emerges from his work with the Pali texts is a portrait of the Buddha and his world where it's impossible to miss the vital sense of a man questing for a coherent vision of reality.

Listen to a 'Reading Of The Attadanda Sutta':

‘The Buddha’s Personality’, the third in the series, takes us past the traditional narrative and drama to ask what the Buddha was actually like. Great artists have tried and failed to grasp the essence of the Buddha's character, and beyond the veils of history, legend and the texts themselves we encounter a vivid, felt sense of the Buddha's personality. In a series of beautifully observed close-up drawings from the Pali Canon we are left with a portrait of spiritual genius that is both enigmatically distant and thoroughly human.

'What Kind of Person Was the Buddha?'

‘The Buddha and Society’ - in this wide-ranging, riveting talk Vishvapani gives us the Buddha as a radical, as a holy man, as pragmatist, as tamer of demons, as visionary - all these and more, and all in relation to the society Gautama took part in. Some provocative words and questions from the Buddha and from our speaker as we try to get to grips with a world vastly different from our own. What was the Buddha's social vision, and what can we learn from it? This is essential listening and holds some surprising insights into the life and times of a great sage in and out of his own culture and history.

FBA Dharmabyte: 'The Spirit World & The Taming of Mara'

‘The Buddha’s Vision’: A fitting conclusion to a wonderfully insightful series. When the Buddha finally sat down under the Bodhi tree and saw deeply into the nature of things, what had brought him to that point? And what happened next? In his final take on the Buddha's journey of the heart and mind, Vishvapani focuses in on the Buddha's experience before, during and after Enlightenment, bringing his nuanced, perceptive reading to the words the Buddha himself is said to have employed in order to best evoke his experiences as he struggled to give voice to them.

Listen to: 'Insight Into The Nature of Mind'

Join the FBA Community!

The New Gautama Buddha Series available on Free Buddhist Audio

Subscribe to a weekly Dharma talk with our FBA Podcast along with our brand new Dharmabytes to hear more on this fascinating series.

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Vishvapani

Vishvapani is a Buddhist writer and teacher based in Cardiff, Wales. He discovered meditation and Buddhism at the age of 14 and became a Buddhist soon after. He became a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1992. Vishvapani is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day (a reflection on the news in 'Today' the main UK radio breakfast news programme). See Vishvapani’s 2009 Triratna Buddhist Order Convention talk, ‘Recollections of the Buddha’.

Vishvapani will be broadcasting on Thought for the Day on May 17 (for Wesak), May 25 and June 2 at around 7.48 am GMT. These will be available as a podcast and on the Thought for the Day Website. He will be a panelist on the BBC1 ethical debate programme 'The Big Questions' at 10.00 am on Sunday 15th May, available afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

Ipswich Buddhist Centre celebrates Festival of Enlightenment in town centre

2011-05-14T09:36:00.002+01:00

Amoghavajra writes from Ipswich in the UK with news of their recent ‘Festival of Enlightenment’, celebrating 25 years of Buddhist activities in the town. He says -

“Last Sunday, 8th May, Triratna’s Ipswich Buddhist Centre celebrated Buddha Day right in the very centre of Ipswich. Acalavajri and Bodhivamsa inspired us to take our celebration of this important Buddhist Festival to the people of Ipswich and use this ancient Town Square – known locally as The Cornhill – that was established in 700CE. It is used frequently to host many different events and by holding our Festival of Enlightenment in the square we hoped to really bring ourselves to the attention of the townspeople. This year marks 25 years of activities in the town and what better time to take the courageous step of practicing in the square.

“Our dream was to erect a ‘bodhi tree’ which would be similar to the old British ‘clootie tree’ – a wishing tree. Jnanamitra designed our tree and canopy which went up easily on the day. As you can expect we were all apprehensive not just about such a public event but also whether the fickle British weather would bless us or rain on us! In the end we had glorious weather.
Our Evolution shop is located a hundred yards from this site and we created a pathway to the shop. During the day we had people meditating in the shop window.

“The day itself went supremely well. The sun shone and we had a great interest from the passing public in our festival. We had a dedication ceremony, meditation, chanting, walking meditation, talks and concluded with a 7-fold puja. A blast of a day and a huge success in bringing our Sangha together, along with friends from Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and Padmaloka. I think we made a very positive impression on the life of the town and received a lot of interest from those passing by. I think this big day will be remembered well by Sangha and townsfolk alike”.

Amoghavajra (Chairman, Triratna Buddhist Community Ipswich)

Bodhivamsa, one of the organisers, adds - "We also wanted a compassionate aspect to the event, so we provided lunch for the general public, and many took up this offer. Fifty meals were prepared at a local restaurant by our sangha team of cooks, led by Carol Bloyce. We also accepted donations of food from local ethnic Buddhists.

"The Evolution shop in Ipswich had people meditating in the shop window and a path of enlightening footsteps was drawn on the ground leading to the event on the town square. This pathway was especially of interest to youngsters who could be seen following it accompanied by their reluctant parents.

"Being proud and confident in our Buddhist faith was the main driver and vision for such a testing event. The event gave many people in our Sangha the opportunity to overcome fears about themselves and join collectively and openly in celebrating a world changing event. The event also managed to raise a lot of press interest, with interviews on local radio, and several articles in local papers including a centre spread entitled: ‘Lighting up lives at an inspiring festival’".

There's lots more photos of the day on-line here.

In Conversation with Vishvapani About ‘Gautama Buddha’

2011-05-12T23:26:00.002+01:00

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

This is the second part of our celebrations to mark the launch of Gautama Buddha, a major new series of talks by Vishvapani available now on Free Buddhist Audio.

Read Part 1

Viriyalila, FBA’s head of community development, was present for the opening talk of the series, given in Manchester in the UK, where she picked up a copy of Vishvapani’s new book, Gautama Buddha - The Life and Teachings O f The Awakened One. She met with him at the local café to discuss the writing of a substantial piece of new work on the Buddha. Sitting with a cranberry scone and a latte, Vishvapani described how this book has become his main project over the last 3 years.

Commissioned to write the biography by Quercus, he quickly found himself involved in a much bigger endeavour than he had imagined:

“I thought there were already lots of books on the Buddha that you could turn to and get a reasonable idea about what he was like and what he did in his life. The first surprise was discovering that there actually aren’t books like the one I’ve written. There are many books that retell the legends and there are books that treat the historical Buddha fairly briefly, but I wanted to do more then just retell the legends…”

Vishvapani talked about wanting to get as close as he could take us to the Historical Buddha. “Being a Buddhist myself, I didn’t want to do it as a scholar would do, for me the Buddha was enlightened, that’s my starting point when I read those texts…The book is very thorough. In terms of using the Pali Canon as a basis for a biographical portrait of the Buddha there is no other book that is anything like as substantial as this…”

Vishvapani - On Gautama Buddha from Triratna Buddhist Community on Vimeo.

Viriyalila was interested in understanding how Vishvapani’s Buddhist practice influenced his writing of the book:

“Because I am a Buddhist, I don’t question that the Buddha was enlightened, I take it that he was Enlightened and that the suttas, to a more or less accurate degree, represent his efforts to explain his understanding of his life and communicate that to people.”

Vishvapani - On Enlightenment from Triratna Buddhist Community on Vimeo.

Reflections from FBA

All of us on the team at Free Buddhist Audio have appreciated the opportunity to work closely with Vishvapani to bring this series to our audience, doing extensive work to provide you with the best quality audio recordings and highly detailed indexing of the talks themselves.

We'd like to bring you a special reading from the book, given in the talk The Buddha's Vision (Bristol Buddhist Centre, Feb 2011), the story of Bahiya set in the context of historical time, place and lifestyle:

There is much that is important for reflection here – the Dharma made fascinating by dint of the author's depth of engagement with Buddhist practice and the sheer breadth of his cultural reference.

Join the FBA Community!

Vishvapani

Vishvapani is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. He will be broadcasting in that slot on Radio 4's 'Today', the main UK radio breakfast news programme, on May 17 (for Wesak), May 25 and June 2 at around 7.48 am GMT. These will be available as a podcast and on the Thought for the Day Website. He will be a panelist on the BBC1 ethical debate programme 'The Big Questions' at 10.00 am on Sunday 15th May, available afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

Windhorse gets in the Wesak Spirit

2011-05-10T11:38:00.000+01:00

Windhorse gets in the Wesak Spirit Friday 6th May

Windhorse, the Buddhist gift business based in Cambridge UK is getting in the festive spirit for Wesak - celebrating the day of the Buddha's awakening.

The festivities began last Friday with a ritual around the large stupa in the centre of our warehouse. We dedicated the celebrations and invoked the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There was circumambulation of the stupa and chanting just as used to happen round stupas containing relics of the Buddha in ancient India.

Then we got to work with your craft skills! Around the stupa a 12 pointed traditional Mandala boundary had been marked out on the warehouse floor. The aim was to turn this into a wall of lotuses by the time of Wesak day the following week. Under the direction of ritual master Vidyavajra we all set to making lotus stencils with card and craft knives. These will be used to mark lotuses in white spray paint over the following week. We also sprayed in the first of four very splendid larger lotus patterns at the four gates of the mandala.

Of course the area around the stupa will continue to be part of the warehouse with trolleys and pickers running past, but they will be aware of an extra sacred dimension as they do so.

Over the coming year the plan is to spray in a wall of vajras and one of flames to complete the Mandala wall.

Ratnagarbha

Free Buddhist Audio Presents, ‘Gautama Buddha’, A Major New Series by Vishvapani

2011-05-10T02:30:00.000+01:00

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

Over the past few months, Vishvapani has delivered a significant new series of talks, Gautama Buddha, to launch his book ‘Gautama Buddha – Life And Teachings Of The Awakened One’ (Quercus, 2011). Now available exclusively on Free Buddhist Audio, this superb five-talk series highlights various key themes woven into the legendary accounts of the Buddha’s life and the historical records of his great vision of reality that have come down to us through the ages.

Gautama Buddha - New Series Now Available at Free Buddhist Audio

Listen to FBA Dharmabyte – "Engaging with the Historical Buddha”

Bringing a broad cultural awareness and a depth of personal practice to bear on his subject, Vishvapani's biography of Gautama takes us into the world he inhabited, offering glimpses of the Buddha's personality and exploring his relationship with nature and his own society as evidenced in the earliest Buddhist texts. The insights afforded into our own conditioning and cultural context are both profoundly revealing and challenging.

The talks are supplemented by a bonus recording of a fascinating discussion between Vishvapani and renowned psychologist Dorothy Rowe on ‘Buddhism, Science and Reality – How Can We Understand Ourselves?’

Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of Awakened One

Vishvapani speaks eloquently throughout his series about the experience of writing his book and of his desire to portray the historical Buddha as closely as possible. For the more we see the Buddha in his own time and place – the more we can see him in his historical specificity –the more likely we are to understand his teachings. Vishvapani wished to bring to life: “The person who actually lived, walked, and breathed, who was involved in a society, the person who was trying to convince the people around him that he was telling the truth, that he had gained some kind of wisdom, that Buddha…”

He explains, “How can we write a life of someone who is beyond ordinary experience? The reason we can is that after his Enlightenment, the Buddha devoted himself to communicating what it was through his teachings, through his examples, through his actions, and through the character of community established. Writing about the Buddha, reading about the Buddha, is really a way of contemplating the Buddha.”

Listen to FBA Dharmabyte - "'Knowing' the Buddha"

‘Gautama Buddha – Life And Teachings Of The Awakened One’ (Quercus, 2011)

The New 'Gautama Buddha' series available on Free Buddhist Audio

Vishvapani

Vishvapani is a Buddhist writer and teacher based in Cardiff, Wales. He discovered meditation and Buddhism at the age of 14 and became a Buddhist soon after. He became a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1992. See Vishvapani’s 2009 Triratna Buddhist Order Convention talk, ‘Recollections of the Buddha’.

Vishvapani is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. He will be broadcasting on that slot Radio 4's 'Today', the main UK radio breakfast news programme, on May 17 (for Wesak), May 25 and June 2 at around 7.48 am GMT. These will be available as a podcast and on the Thought for the Day Website. He will be a panelist on the BBC1 ethical debate programme 'The Big Questions' at 10.00 am on Sunday 15th May, available afterward on BBC iPlayer.

Padayatra - “WALKING THROUGH THE CURTAIN OF FIRE”

2011-05-09T12:15:00.001+01:00

Manidhamma in Sarnath

Manidhamma sends us this dispatch from Sarnath in India, historic site of the Buddha’s first teaching. Triratna has for some years owned a beautiful piece of land there, managed by a small team headed by Manidhamma. They are currently fundraising for a beautiful stone Buddha statue, now being sculpted by a mitra in Bodh Gaya. In aid of this, he’s about to begin an epic hundred-mile walk, tracing one made by Sangharakshita over 60 years ago. He says -

“I am writing now about a walking tour from 9th to 14th May from Sarnath to Kusinara. We have organised a 'Padayatra: a Walking Tour through the Curtain of Fire' to recreate the experience Bhante had according to his memoirs 'The Rainbow Road' . We are a bunch of ten inspired Order Members and Mitras from Vidharbha. Right now I am at Sarnath and we are all set to begin our walk tomorrow (10th May) morning. Like Sangharakshita, we intend to reach Kusinara on the full moon of Wesak.

We are undertaking this journey partly to practice walking and using the traditional robe and bowl of the Anagarika to deepen our going for refuge and partly to raise funds for the installation of a Buddha statue on our land at Sarnath. Also, on our way we will benefit people by studying and teaching the Dhamma. We would like to take the vows of anagarikas for our journey. We would very much appreciate your thoughts and good wishes to accompany us for this journey.

Sangharakshita after his ordination

Here is a little of Sangharakshita’s story - In May 1949, two young wanderers wearing ragged robes, Dharmapriya and Satyapriya, set out on foot to cover the 180km from Sarnath to Kusinara in order to meet the Burmese monk U Chandramani. It was the hottest time of year with temperatures rising relentlessly every day and scorching hot winds gusting across the plains. Despite the dangers, the two young men were not to be dissuaded. “So great was our desire for ordination that if necessary we would have prostrated ourselves the whole distance”. Following the railway tracks, wearing wet towels as turbans, sheltering in mango groves and ashrams and depending on the generosity of those they encountered, the wanderers completed the epic journey in 8 days. Shortly after arriving in Kusinara, Dharmapriya was ordained as the novice called Sangharakshita.

For more information on Bhante’s original journey, read the chapter called “Through the Curtain of Fire” in The Rainbow Road. To contact Manidhamma email him here; to contact the Dhammaloka Trust, Sarnath please visit www.dhammaloka.com or www.dhammayatra.in.

For our fundraising, any contributions are welcome from you or your friends. We have created a special JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/padayatra . Thanking you, and we are looking forward to hearing from you.

With metta,

Manidhamma

Wildmind: Transcending Space and Time(zones)

2011-05-06T05:40:00.008+01:00

Bodhipaksa, founder of the online meditation centre Wildmind (www.wildmind.org), has been running online meditation courses for over ten years. Now he’s started something new that brings together the convenience of an online course with the immediacy and atmosphere of a face-to-face class. He writes -

"This weekly group, meeting on Skype though videoconferencing, involves an ongoing exploration of the principles and practice of meditation, of mindfulness in daily life, and of the cultivation of insight.

"The first classes started a few days ago, and have been very successful. One participant said that she was surprised to find she experienced the best meditation she’d had in a long time. There was an abundance of humour".

The videoconferencing format allows the workshop participants to see and talk to one another, and Bodhipaksa reports that the format offered for genuinely warm connections to form, and he envisages strong bonds of closeness and intimacy developing as people practice with each other and share their lives. This will be helped by the fact that participants are being asked to make at least a three month commitment to the workshop.

The topics explored go well beyond introductory meditation, and will deal with such things as how to free the mind from the hindrances, how to cultivate jhana/dhyana, bringing mindfulness into daily life, and how to cultivate insight.

Bodhipaksa rather ambitiously says that his aim is to help participants become enlightened. Although he admits that not everyone in the workshop is currently aiming that high, he points out that Enlightenment is the purpose of all Dharma practice.

Each week there is a short talk, a guided meditation, and opportunity for discussion. Meetings last for 90 minutes. So far there have been participants from across the US, from Canada, Mexico, and the UK. The times of the classes have been chosen to allow people from as many timezones as possible to participate. The most difficult region to accommodate, Bodhipaksa says, is Australia and New Zealand.

There is no fixed charge for the workshop, and people are free to give what they can afford.
Bodhipaksa sees the workshop groups as a mission: “What I'm suggesting,” he says, “is a mutual commitment to generosity. I'll go out of my way to support the people I'm working with.” He’s offering to deal with students’ questions via email or phone calls, and to support their spiritual development in any way he can.

For further information on Bodhipaksa’s Skype meditation workshops, visit Wildmind at www.wildmind.org.

New Society weekend upcoming in Birmingham

2011-05-05T05:48:00.000+01:00

Jnanarakshita writes from Birmingham with news of an upcoming event aimed especially at younger members of the Triratna sangha. It’s ‘The New Society in Principle and Practice’, and he says - “It’ll be a weekend of inspiration for young Triratna Buddhists, looking at the “WHY?” of the New Society, and also the “HOW?” – either getting involved in existing projects or starting your own. It’s for people who are interested in any of the following:

• helping to create a New Society
• spreading the Dharma and building Sangha
• living communally
• working with other Buddhists

The weekend will include
- a fresh talk by Vajragupta
- practising together in the shrine room
- time to meet with others
- practical workshops on getting more involved and on getting new initiatives going

We’ll explore some of the principles and practices of creating Sangha together. What are the advantages and the challenges of Dharma work and of communal living? The emphasis will be on achievable action, and practical next steps.

DETAILS:
7.30pm Friday 17 June to 4.00pm Sunday 19 June at Birmingham Buddhist Centre.
Cost: dana (by donation). Accommodation: available
To book: contact Vidyaruci on
matt.notmatt@yahoo.co.uk

For updates please see the Facebook Event ‘The New Society in Principle and Practice’

“Lankan Awakenings”

2011-05-03T05:57:00.001+01:00

Ujukarin, an Order Member from Amsterdam but with family links in Sri Lanka, writes with news of developments in the Triratna Sangha there following his recent twice-yearly visit. He says -

"The Triratna sangha in the tropical island of Sri Lanka might be tiny for a country having millions of people calling themselves Buddhist, but it does remain lively - something I've just encountered again following my recent visit.

"Over a week late March Saddhavira, Supadma (visiting from Wardha, India) and myself held a series of meetings and talks around our base in central Colombo and Dhammamitra Renuka’s hospitable South Ceylon guesthouse in Unuwatuna - right on the beach! For about the first time I used a non-Triratna book as basis for the study: the excellent One Dharma by Joseph Goldstein, which I find a good example of unified ‘Ekayana’ Buddhism now also becoming popular outside Triratna. In Colombo we attracted a total of 15-20 people over the three days we were there, whilst in Unuwatuna we saw a few each night and no less than 20 for the day retreat – a record in recent times!

"The reason for this deserves some special attention, as it may also serve as a guideline for other outposts and an invitation for any Triratna community member who wants to help spread the Dharma. Back in Winter 2010 we had already had a one-month stay by Colchester mitras Anne and Ian, which stimulated quite a few local people (esp. women) between Galle and Matara to become more active. This winter these two small heroes, both semi-retired, made it to the island for a full three months. During their time with us they simply kept in close contact with Saddhavira, and decided to run a weekly Saturday meditation morning class; a discipline which normally, due to Saddhavira’s semi-nomadic lifestyle, is hard to sustain. And it worked! - their attendance grew from 2-3 to 5-10 people every Saturday, and culminated with our ‘huge’ day retreat late March. Now Saddhavira has a stable basis to build upon, and we’re looking forward already to the next visit of these and maybe other foreign mitras!"

The photo shows the Unuwatuna day retreat, with Anne and Ian in the back row next to Ujukarin. More photos are on Facebook here.

Sangharakshita's Diary, April 2011

2011-05-02T06:20:00.002+01:00

The gardens at Madhyamaloka, where Sangharakshita lives

Vidyaruci, Sangharakshita’s secretary, writes with news of Bhante’s activities over the past month., saying - “The search for a property to house the Sangharakshita Library and Study Centre continues, which leaves Bhante not knowing how long he will live at Madhyamaloka, or where he will move to when he goes. But go he will, and perhaps it is therefore natural that his latest literary project is a series of reveries whose starting point is some memories of Madhyamaloka that he will carry with him to his new home. He has not long started the piece, but it will be interesting to see how it develops, and it certainly gives him something to ponder as he takes his daily walk.

“Amid the flow of daily visitors was the indefatigable Subhuti, who again had a number of discussions with Bhante, this time about the social implications of the Dharma. I am sure many people look forward to seeing what results. There has also been a contingent from Nottingham, led by Paraga, who were treated to tea and cake in the Madhyamaloka cafeteria. Bhante's audio book listening has mainly been Martin Amis' memoir Experience, which was quite long, and which Bhante found sometimes interesting and sometimes a bit boring. Much of it was about the author's father, the novelist and poet Kingsley Amis.

“Bhante and I finished Sulak Sivaraksa's autobiography Loyalty Demands Dissent, and Bhante wrote to Sulak expressing appreciation for the book, and noting a few parallels between the lives of the two men. I have also read to Bhante articles by David Loy and Philip Larkin, and an essay by Lama Anagarika Govinda called 'Teilhard de Chardin in the Mirror of Eastern Thought', which Bhante admitted to finding a little disappointing.

“There’s no health news to report, except that Bhante went to the hospital for a vision check, and will go again next month”.

Sangharakshita's memories of Madhyamaloka will appear in due course on his website www.sangharakshita.org, which already contains links to most of his writings including material not published elsewhere.

A 'Map of Terms' for Triratna Dharma

2011-05-01T06:24:00.002+01:00

Mat New writes from Madhyamaloka, a Triratna community in Birmingham UK, asking us to publicise his ‘Map of Terms’ - a rich and accessible summary of the Dharma, as shown in the photo opposite. It's a simple one-sheet summary of all the main Dharma terminology used in Triratna, plus the relationships between them. He says - “I am distributing an A0 poster (120cm x 85cm) of some of the most popular Buddhist lists and terms presented in a logical, graphical format. Its main function is reference and recollection, and would be ideal for hanging on the wall in any area where study/reading/discussion takes place.

“The poster includes some of Sangharakshita’s teachings and paraphrased definitions, plus accurate Pali and Sanskrit translations for all terms. It’s been in existence for about a year and a half in many different forms (this is version 2.13) and I've been regularly discussing its progress with anyone who would listen! The final copy has been looked over in depth by Padmakumara and Shantavira, plus Saraha, Vidyaruci and Cittapala and others - in fact everyone who has stayed in my room over the last 12 months has spent time looking at it and discussing it with me.

“The main content (about 70% of it) is derived from Triratna’s Garland Of Terms, complied many years ago by Cittapala and Ashvajit. Each individual list is surely correct, and if there’s anything controversial about the Map it’s where each list sits in relation to each other - for example do the Four Right Efforts go under Meditation or Ethics? People who read it continually come up with more and more possibilities of where things *could* go, and more things that could be fitted in but as far as I'm aware the layout is as reasonable and valid as any other.

“There is also a disclaimer on the key at the bottom: 'Lists have been placed in a logical order, but this resource is not intended to provide a definitive map of how the Buddha’s teachings relate to each other. It has been produced primarily as a means of memorising material and quickly referring to many terms and lists found in the Buddhist tradition.'

“I can supply them for around £22, or £27 posted to addresses in the UK. That’s quite a lot I know, but it’s expensive to get them printed in such small quantities. All profits will go to the Birmingham Buddhist Centre’s 'Sangha Building' project - the much needed repairing, renovating and improving of the Centre. If you would like one then please email me at matnoo at hotmail dot com and I’ll send payment instructions”.

Kindly eyes,
Mat.

The Map is also available on the Triratna News ‘Resources’ page as a multi-page PDF for home printing.

Young Buddhists flourish in Melbourne

2011-04-29T05:16:00.002+01:00

More and more Triratna Buddhist centres in the UK have groups catering specifically for the younger Sangha members - under 35 or even under 30. Now Jodie Dempster writes from Triratna’s Melbourne sangha with news of a similar initiative ‘down under’. She says -

“Just wanted to let you know that our young Dharma activities are going very well here in Melbourne. Last month we ran a practice day, with 16 people attending - some for the first time. Most are in their 20's; a few in their early 30's. Manjusiddha and Shantidevi came as honorary youngish order members to help lead meditations and a puja, helping Shane and I run the day. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm coming from the youth group and I find it personally very supportive too.

“In 2010 the Melbourne Buddhist Centre started offering activities specifically ran by young people for young people. We called the new venture the Young Dharma Discussion Group (YDDG). In recent years the number of young people coming to the centre has gone up considerably, but not many continued coming along regularly so we started to wonder if there might be better ways to engage young people.

“We decided to offer informal, varied, fun, inexpensive sessions for people aged 18 to 30 who are exploring similar questions and experiences. A few curious people well into their 40’s asked to join us, arguing that they are so young at heart! We will continue to meet new people and catch up with old friends, practice meditation together, discuss the difficult questions in life, share meals and hopefully inspire each other to live as fully and creatively as we possibly can.

Jodie and Shane (Melbourne, Australia)

Triratna's Melbourne Buddhist Centre

More generally, in Triratna there’s a Facebook group for ‘Young People in the Triratna Buddhist Community’, which carries news of events specially for younger practitioners.

Coming up soon in the UK is “The New Society in Principle and Practice” and, in October, the large Annual Young Buddhists Retreat where up to 100 young Buddhists will be gathering for a weekend of practice, inspiration and fun.

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